An empty arena. Flash... the Arena is filled with seated, placid fans, who stare stoicly as the opening drum beat and violin opening of the Flobots "Rise" begins we flash to a ring.

"So much pain .... we
Dont know how to be but angry"

Flash of various bodies in various positions inside a Legacy ring. Crumpled. Bloodied. Exhausted. In pain.

"Feel infected like we've got gangrene
Please dont let anybody try to change me"

Flash to a shot of X-Calibur glaring angrily. The Diabolik standing in a V with Crash at the head, the Legacy World Title on his shoulder.

"Me"

John Thomas stands with his arms crossed.

"Just me"

Justin Moreno running full speed towards the ring. Crazy Boy hangs out backstage talking with Greyson Blade. Rawlings smirks cockily and Issac runs his forked tongue across sharpened teeth.

"In the middle of a sea full of faces
Full of faces"

Flash bulbs go off in the ring as we spin to show the crowd standing, roaring their approval.

"Some laugh"

A shot of Loco Martinez smiling huge

"some salivate"

A close up of Issac with Greyson Blade's blood dripping down his chin.

"Whats in your alleyway
Recycling bins or bullet cases"

Domination battling El Chupacabra in the parking garage.

"Its not equal
Its not fair"

Jake Dominion nails the Iced out. Cronos dropping an opponent with a hard right hand. Jean Girard Baptiste stands in the center of a ring, the crowd roars their hatred.

"Were different people
But were not scared"

Flash from John Thomas to Mirage to Adam Davis.

"We aint never scared
To pave a new path"

Damien Black, Chris Turner and Ezekiel Caine talk strategy.

"Make a new street
Build a new bridge"

Mirage speaking with Lucien Gray.

"Say can you see by the dawns early light
Free slaves running"

Loco Martinez steps out into a gold spotlight.

"Songs words werent right
Now a new days coming"

Crash nails Loco with the Aero Zeppelin Driver. He hoists the world title.

"The few stay stunning"

Hannah Perez looking gorgeous with El Chupacabra flanking her.

"while the many are handsome"

Derek Shane admires himself in a mirror.

"Your soul is alive but they want it for ransom"

Jake Dominion revealing a Diabolik t-shirt under his referee's shirt.

"The base drumming is the anthem
We step to the heartbeats of our granddaughters and grandsons"

We see a group of kids in the audience, jumping to their feet, excited to see some Legacy action.

"And"

We see most of the Legacy Roster standing in the ring.

"Rise together"

A quick flurry of people jumping off the top rope: X-Calibur's hang time elbow. Stephen Rawlings with a moonsault. Crazy Boy leaps. Diego de Cardenas spins.

"We rise together"

The placid crowd from the opening jumps to their feet roaring.

"Rise together"

Greg Allocca and Justin Moreno jump to the top rope, pause a moment before launching themselves.

"We rise together"

The crowd again jumps to their feet.

"Rise together
We rise together"

Derek Shane running to the ring in his Indiana Jones costume.

"Rise together
We rise together"

Justin Moreno leaps with the M-80 on Stephen Rawlings. Makes the cover. Hoists the Tao of Valor title.

"Rise together
We rise together"

Greyson Blade Hoists Issac entragian up and drives him down with a wicked spinebuster.

"Rise together
We rise together"

Crash hoists the Legacy World Title skyward for the the world to see. The camera follows the title and then shoots out over the live crowd who are all on their feet.

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

ALAN DUCARD: Good evening everyone and welcome to Portland, Oregon, where tonight we bring to you the fortieth edition of LEGACY's STRIFE. I'm your host, Alan Ducard, alongside my broadcast partners Jimmy Yates and Bryan Harris.

BRYAN HARRIS: If you don't know by now, I'm Bryan Harris - the voice of reason here on the LEGACY broadcast team, and when things get out of hand because these two don't know how to shut their mouth and let you enjoy the action on your own, that's usually when I have to step in.

JIMMY YATES: Right, because I think that's what most of the LEGACY fans would agree you do best... give me a break! We've got lots of action here tonight with eight matches and thirty competitors getting into the ring to do battle, so I'll be the first to admit we need to keep things rolling.

ALAN DUCARD: Most of you probably already know the matches yet to come here tonight, and if you don't, you can take my word that you're going to want to stay tuned in for the entire program, because there's plenty good to see.

BRYAN HARRIS: This is our last show prior to the next pay per view, and from what I hear, there are a few major announcements to take place, so you're not going to want to miss it.

JIMMY YATES: What ever happened to just getting on with the show, huh Bryan?

ALAN DUCARD: Our opening match of the night should be a good one, arguably the biggest opening match we’ve ever had.

JIMMY YATES: It was only a few months ago that Stephen Rawlings and Loco Martinez were in the ring against one another in a one-on-one situation, and in that match, the World Title was on the line.

BRYAN HARRIS: Tonight’s match doesn’t carry that kind of implications, but I’m guessing that if their other matches are any indicator, it will be a fantastic encounter nevertheless.

ALAN DUCARD: Two weeks ago on STRIFE 39 it was determined that Loco Martinez and John Thomas would face one another at the upcoming pay per view, and each was allowed to pick the other’s opponent for tonight’s show.

BRYAN HARRIS: Everybody wants to go into a pay per view event with as much momentum as possible, so there’s no doubt in my mind that both of these guys considers this an important match. Let’s get down to the footage.

Start : Footage from the Match

Loco attempts an Irish whip to the turnbuckles on Rawlings, but the former Tao of Valor Champion stops himself just short of the turnbuckles with a baseball slide. Bouncing back up onto the mat and pivoting himself around with great agility, he rushes at Loco who is ready with an arm drag. Rawlings and Loco both pop up from the mat and Rawlings lunges at Loco again. Loco sends him back down with a second arm drag, and once again both competitors pop up off of the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: These lads know each other so bloody well from their time in LEGACY. This match has been a real treat for those of you just tuning in.

JIMMY YATES: Rawlings and Loco are really putting on a showcase here as it almost seems like a “one-up” game between the two cruiserweights.

Rawlings acts like he’s gonna bum rush Loco again but he stops and stands up straight. Loco nods his head and Rawlings smiles and points to his noggin.

BRYAN HARRIS: Rawlings has shown why he’s the smartest man in LEGACY time and time again, and his match tonight with Loco has been no different.

Rawlings and Loco tie-up collar to elbow but it doesn’t take long for Loco to gain the advantage by twisting Rawlings’ arm around with a short-arm scissors. Wrenching on Rawlings arm and elbow joint, Loco sends a right cross to Rawlings’ jaw which sends him to the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: Loco’s worked on that arm quite a bit through this match. It’s no wonder it’s still in place!!

Still holding onto the arm, Loco drops both of his legs onto the abdomen of Rawlings. Rawlings gasps for air and Loco mounts him with the arm still in his grasp. Bower checks for both of Rawlings’ shoulders to be down on the mat as Loco holds him by the arm in a mounted position.

One...

Rawlings gets his shoulder up but Loco wrenches the arm which causes Rawlings’ shoulder to go back down on the mat.

One...

Two...

Again, Rawlings’ shoulder comes up off of the mat but Loco sends a few vicious right hands to the jaw and eye which cause the shoulder to fall back down again.

One...

Two...
Thr- Rawlings gets his shoulder up again, and as soon as Loco tries to switch to a side-mounted position Rawlings immediately rolls backwards onto his feet to get out of the predicament, and thus reverses the twisting effect from Loco’s grasp onto Loco’s arm. Loco cries out momentarily and Rawlings makes sure to add to it with a few yanks to the socket.

BRYAN HARRIS: That was an awesome exchange their. I admit, Rawlings looked like he was in trouble there for a quick second, but his far superior athleticism pulled him out of it.

JIMMY YATES: Stop. You’re being ridiculous. I wouldn’t say “far superior” at all. More like, “even... with Loco having the slight edge”.

After a third yank, Rawlings sends Loco down to the mat face first with incredible force. Stomping on the back of his head a few times, Rawlings looks out at all the booing fans and simply brushes his chin aggressively with a nasty gesture.

ALAN DUCARD: Well that was rude!!

Continuing back on the offensive, Rawlings grabs the back of Loco’s head and rises him to his feet. Loco senses something coming from his opposition though and shoots an elbow into Rawlings’ abdomen. Rawlings reels back only slightly, but it’s enough room for the crafty and lightning quick veteran to shoot a standing front-facing dropkick on Rawlings’ knee.

JIMMY YATES: Nice standing dropkick there. I could just feel the ligaments loosen in Rawlings’ knee there..

Rawlings buckles to one leg and Loco utilizes the opportunity to run into the ropes. Almost spring boarding off of the recoil, Loco flies with his legs outstretched and connects with a different variation of the shining wizard, almost resembling an enziguri. The smacking force in which Loco connects with Rawlings’ skull is heard through the audience and Loco hooks a leg for good measure.

One!!

Two!!

Thr- NO!!

BRYAN HARRIS: He almost had him...

ALAN DUCARD: I’m not sure what he calls that one, but it was effective.

JIMMY YATES: I was just handed an anonymous note that it’s being called “The Shining Martz”.

BRYAN HARRIS: Whatever that means...

Rawlings kicks out and Loco immediately stands him up to his feet. Almost out of nowhere, Loco grabs Rawlings’ arm again and goes for another short-arm scissors. All of a sudden, Loco lifts his leg up for the superkick, and inches before it could connect Rawlings drops to the mat, grabbing behind Loco’s hindquarters and tights for an old school roll-up!

BRYAN HARRIS: He countered the move!!

One!!

JIMMY YATES: He might have him!!

Two!!

No!!

ALAN DUCARD: Very few competitors have managed to avoid the LOCapitator, but with Rawlings as quick as he is, I’m not surprised he managed to do it.

As both men get to their feet, it’s become clear that Loco is surprised by Rawlings’ ability to sense the maneuver. Loco hesitates long enough on his next move for Rawlings to send him back down to the mat with a simple but forceful clothesline. Once again pointing to his noggin, (displaying his “smarts”), Rawlings lifts Loco’s legs up for a wishbone.

Rawlings: Look!!

Unsure of what Rawlings is pointing at in the first row, Bower is gullible enough to take his attention away from Rawlings long enough to allow a knee drop to the privates go unnoticed.

ALAN DUCARD: Bloody effin’ hell!!! That was uncalled for!!!!!

Bower shrugs his shoulders at what Rawlings was pointing at and sees the man hooking a leg on Loco - who is, strangely enough, holding his crotch and coughing deeply like someone just smashed him in the balls.

One!!

Two!!

Thr- No!!

Loco manages to kick out just in the nick of time as Rawlings smiles all-knowingly to the venomous audience.

BRYAN HARRIS: These fans are jealous of Rawlings’ intelligence. That’s all there is to it.

Lifting Loco back to his feet, who is still reeling and walking gingerly from the blatant low blow, Rawlings smacks him across the right ear with his knuckles, causing an apparent disorientation on the former World Champion.

JIMMY YATES: That was awkward... but damn that looked like that hurt.

Slipping behind him with a go-behind waist lock, Rawlings hooks Loco’s arms in a double chicken-wing type hold. Then, lifting him up slightly off of the mat, Rawlings snaps backwards with a tiger suplex, drilling Loco harshly into the canvas.

BRYAN HARRIS: Tiger suplex!!!

ALAN DUCARD: What a devastating move...

Rawlings makes a lateral cover..

One!!

Two!!

Rawlings hooks both legs for added measure.

THR- NO!! Loco kicks out!!

ALAN DUCARD: Close one. That was the closest near fall in this match yet.

Rawlings, looking frustrated that he hasn’t been able to put away the opposition yet, signals something to the crowd. Lifting Loco’s almost deadweight body up from the canvas, Rawlings then proceeds to lift him further into a fireman’s carry.

BRYAN HARRIS: He’s going for it!! The Knock-Out Move!!

JIMMY YATES: You know, for a guy who is supposedly so ‘smart’, he certainly comes up with lame names for signature maneuvers.

Almost instinctively, Loco shoots an elbow into the cleft of Rawlings’ jaw, and slips down behind him. Running full speed ahead into the ropes, Loco springboard moonsaults off the second rope, catching Rawlings’ head in mid-fall and driving him backwards down to the mat with a reverse DDT. The crowd pops for the breathtaking maneuver and Loco lays motionless for a moment to recover from the previous onslaught.

ALAN DUCARD: That was an AMAZING modification to “That Warm Fuzzy Feeling”, and I think if Loco hadn’t been on the receiving end of not only a blatant low blow but a devastating tiger suplex, this one would be over right now.

BRYAN HARRIS: It was impressive, yes, but Rawlings is no slouch. He could’ve kicked out of that move no problem.

JIMMY YATES: Guess that one’s gonna be up for interpretation for a while..

Digging down deep and finding enough willpower to bring himself to his feet, Loco Loco grabs Rawlings with a one armed choke hold, almost ripping at his Adam’s apple. Then, placing his free hand behind Rawlings for leverage, Loco lifts him up off of the canvas and slams him back down with a thunderous chokeslam!

BRYAN HARRIS: Cruiserweight chokeslam!!

Loco immediately drops down for the cover and Bower counts away..

One!!

Two!!

THR- NO!! Rawlings barely gets a shoulder up and Loco’s face tells the story of a disappointed man who thought he had it won.

JIMMY YATES: God that was close.

ALAN DUCARD: Wait a tick... why isn’t he moving..?

BRYAN HARRIS: You’re right. What’s up with that?

Loco Martinez goes to drag Rawlings to his feet when he noticed Rawlings isn’t moving and his eyes are completely open with a disturbingly blank stare. Loco looks at LEGACY official Don Bower who in turn looks back at Loco with a puzzled look.

JIMMY YATES: Oh my God!!! He killed Stephen!!!

BRYAN HARRIS: That ba-

ALAN DUCARD: Hey now! Watch it!

Don Bower checks on Rawlings who is seemingly completely out of it and Loco backs up towards the ropes and lets him do his job. All of a sudden there’s a commotion up the elevated ramp way and John Thomas appears in his normal ring attire, almost looking like he’s ready to compete right here and now.

ALAN DUCARD: Now wait a second, what’s he doing?

BRYAN HARRIS: Who?

JIMMY YATES: I think he’s talking about, (Points dramatically.), HIM!!

John Thomas saunters down to the ring and Loco Martinez turns around as he notices the commotion getting louder behind him. He spots JT immediately and doesn’t look too happy at all. Holding up the top rope and sitting on the second rope, Loco Martinez stares at John with a spitefully inviting look.

Loco Martinez: Really?

John Thomas folds his arms and simply shakes his head at Loco as Rawlings slowly starts to get up from the mat, looking bewildered and disoriented. Trying to get to one knee, Rawlings collapses back down to the canvas only to try to get up once again. Succeeding in getting to one knee this time, Loco turns his attention back towards him. Loco advances towards Rawlings with a look that suggests it is time to end things.

JIMMY YATES: He could be going for the LOCapitator here!!

BRYAN HARRIS: Rawlings escaped had it perfectly scouted earlier and there’s no doubt in my mind that he can’t do it again.

ALAN DUCARD: You may be right, Bryan. But Rawlings seems to not be himself all of a sudden. It almost looks like he’s been drugged. Like, maybe that chokeslam knocked something “loose”.

Helping Rawlings the rest of the way to his feet, Loco grabs Rawlings by the wrist and twists it into a short-arm scissors. Standing back just enough for the superkick, Loco is about to go in for the kill when Rawlings suddenly springs to life and surprises Loco with a drop toe hold. Loco falls flat on his face, and Rawlings quickly steps to the side of him. As Loco attempts to get to his knees, Rawlings hooks one arm around his neck and one between his legs before rolling over into a pinning predicament..

One!!

Two!!

Three!!

BRYAN HARRIS: Brilliant! He caught him with an Oklahoma roll!!

JIMMY YATES: He was playing possum?!

ALAN DUCARD: Looks like Rawlings got one over on the former World Champion tonight, and I can’t help but think that John Thomas’ presence was a factor in the outcome.

Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner by Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match.... STEPHEN..... RAWLINGS!!!!!!

Loco sits up off the mat as Rawlings has his hand raised and he looks pissed. Mouthing some cuss words to himself and pulling at his hair, Loco falls back to the canvas as John Thomas smiles widely on the outside.

JIMMY YATES: Is it just me, or is it possible that John Thomas had more to do with that victory than just being there to witness it in person?

BRYAN HARRIS: You're getting paranoid, Jimbo, and it's still only the first match. Maybe you should cut back on your pre-show ritual smoke, eh?

(The scene is backstage where we see LEGACY's newest star Ben Jackson is standing in the hallway drinking a bottle of water when we see Patrick "Racin'" Reynolds bump into him in the hallway wearing a LEGACY crew T-Shirt and faded blue jeans with Timberland work boots as he looks at Ben and begins to speak.)

Racin' Reynolds: Hey thar, Benny Boy, is it?

Ben Jackson: Yeah, that's me. Who are you?

Racin' Reynolds: My name's Pat Reynolds, and well, ah was a' wonderin' if ah might could have a moment of yer time here?

Ben Jackson: Sure, I don't see why not.

Racin' Reynolds: How ya set fer LEGACY T-Shirts?

Ben Jackson: How do you mean, exactly?

Racin' Reynolds: Welp, ah was a' wonderin' if ya might be in-ner-es-ted in a Fast Times T-Shirt? Ya can find 'em on that thar fancy In-ner-net site of LEGACY's bah goin' to th' LEGACY site, then goin' to LEGACY's merchandise page, an' pickin' Fast Times on the merchandise list. Git 'em while ya can, man... cuz they're a-sellin' faster than chili dawgs wit' cole slaw on 'em at Martinsville Speedway! You want one?

Ben Jackson: I think I might wait, because I don't know too many people, and I don't want to upset anybody else by not wearing their shirts, and I can't wear all of them. I mean, I could wear all of them all at once, but that would defeat the purpose of it, right?

Racin' Reynolds: Well, jus' remember Benny Boy, that if ya ain't the worst... then yer' gunna be in first!

(Racin' Reynolds gives a big goofy wink and thumbs up to the camera as he begins to speak.)

Racin' Reynolds: That phrase is a registered trademark of Fast Times Inc., not to be used without the expressed written consent of Fast Times Inc.!

(Racin' Reynolds then walks off with that same goofy grin on his face as Benny shakes his head and chuckles to himself.)

As Stephen Rawlings walks through the curtain to re-enter the backstage area, he makes his way through the gorilla position and spots John Thomas. A huge grin on his face, Stephen approaches John.

John Thomas: Well, if it isn't the man of the hour! Congratulations, it looks like our strategy worked!

Stephen Rawlings: Thanks... I guess... I mean, I appreciate the tip... You know Loco way better then me, so anytime someone offers a tip as to how to one up someone, it's greatly appreciated.

An almost sour look comes across Stephen’s face.

Stephen Rawlings: It's just... You know... This match won't really mean anything unless it convinces the front office to give me my rematch instead of that poser Derek Shane.

Spotting Loco's arrival, John turns back to Rawlings.

John Thomas: Steve-o, you might want to head on back to the locker rooms, I think The Loc-ster probably wants a word or two with The JT-izzle.

Stephen Rawlings: Yeah, I think I gotta go anyway... I'll talk to you later. Again thanks.

Noticing that Loco isn't happy in the slightest, Stephen makes haste and walks off, just as Martinez approaches. Loco Martinez surveys the scene with some confusion, before turning his glare to Thomas.

Loco Martinez: So, what's with all THAT?

John looks left, then right, then back at Loco.

John Thomas: With what? With me talking to Stephen Rawlings, congratulating him on the BIGGEST win he’s had in MONTHS?

Loco smirks.

Loco Martinez: Yeah. Call me nuts, but its a little odd to come back from losing a match only to see you chatting it up having a great time with the guy who just beat me... all the while continuing to consider yourself a "friend".

John shrugs his shoulder a little bit and then pats Loco on the shoulder.

John Thomas: I know that not everything going on between us lately has seemed normal, but in the long run, all this stuff... it's bringing us closer together, Loc'. We're already family, butright now it's more like cousins. In time...

John smirks.

John Thomas: Brothers.

Loco Martinez rolls his eyes clearly getting annoyed.

Loco Martinez: BROTHERS? So you came ringside to SCOUT your brother? Or was that more "familial love"?

Struggling with something in his mind for a moment, John looks a little embarrassed.

John Thomas: Look, before you find out from somebody else… you need to know that four days ago, me and S-Rawl got together, and I talked a little strategy with him.

Loco’s eyes get huge.

John Thomas: I was thinking about some of the strategies for the match you and me are gonna have at the pay per view, and I was a little shaky about how one of them might work, so I wanted to give it a test run. Besides, I felt a little bad for how we kinda tricked him outta the World Title back at…

He thinks for a moment.

John Thomas: What pay per view was that where you won the belt?

Loco continues to stare... He shakes his head.

Loco Martinez: You... what??

He laughs like he can't believe what he's hearing.

Loco Martinez: Great... that's great. Good of you. Nice work, dude. Suuuuuper.

Loco just shakes his head again and starts to walk away. John jogs over and catches up, getting in front of Loco.

John Thomas: Look, I know this whole thing… it’s gotta be rough on you. I KNOW it is, because it’s sure rough on me, but trust me, bro, we’re gonna get through this. In fact, I bet if you look back, this is the kind of thing you went through with Stellar, right? Maybe he helped Michael Sexton scout you once or twice?

John nervously chuckles.

John Thomas: A decade from now, you and me… we’ll laugh about all of this… If we even remember it.

Loco leans in closely. Venomously.

Loco Martinez: I wouldn't count on it. If you excuse me.

Loco bumps past Thomas roughly.

Loco Martinez: I've got a pay per view match to prepare for.

Loco walks off leaving Thomas. We follow Loco who walks by Devastation who's out in the hallway loosening up. Loco looks up with an evil smirk.

Loco Martinez: Hey Dev.

Dev nods a silent hello.

Loco Martinez: Just a little friendly advice...

Dev cocks his head slightly, wondering what advice Loco has for him.

Loco Martinez: Go for the chin.

After Dev nods to acknowledge the comment, Loco slaps Dev on the shoulder and walks off.

BRYAN HARRIS: As you might’ve guessed, it’s time for our second match of the night, and although this match came about in the same way that our first match did, John Thomas and Devastation aren’t as recently familiar with each other as Loco Martinez and Stephen Rawlings were for the opener.

JIMMY YATES: Yeah, but it was only a few years ago when John Thomas and Devastation were battling it out over World Title shots for this organization, so they’re not exactly strangers with one another.

ALAN DUCARD: That may very well be true, but it will be interesting to see how much each of these two have changed since that time, given their experiences since then.

BRYAN HARRIS: What you’re going to see out of this match, mark my words, is a vast improvement to John Thomas, who was a lot younger and a lot more inexperienced back when he last met Devastation. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this rematch since it was signed, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment.

ALAN DUCARD: No you’re not alone in wanting to see these two lock it up, so with that in mind, let’s get to the footage to see who came out on top.

Start : Footage from the Match

The action picks up with John Thomas going for a standing armbar but Devastation does a forward roll-through releasing the hold. Devastation then follows it up with a standing body slam and waits for JT to get up. He then winds up for a punch, but Thomas blocks it and hops up off the mat and dropkicks Devastation in the gut. As Devastation gets up, John grabs him by the wrist, immediately yanking down, putting strain on the shoulder.

ALAN DUCARD: John Thomas seems to be trying to work the arm of Devastation here and he's doing a bloody good job of working his arm over, isn't he?

BRYAN HARRIS: That's why I consider John Thomas to be one of the best in the business today. He knows how to work over his opponents almost meticulously.

JIMMY YATES: You seem to be forgetting that Devastation is one of the most well-renowned technical wrestlers of our generation, so don’t go counting him out just yet.

Not letting go of the wrist, John Thomas then locks in a standing armbar, applying added torque on the arm of Devastation before he eventually works it into a hammerlock. He then spins Devastation around in a front facelock with the arm still in the hammerlock position, but Devastation counters with a one-armed Northern Lights Suplex.

ALAN DUCARD: Bloody brilliant counter there by Devastation into the Tyne Bridge, will it be enough?

One...

Two...

BRYAN HARRIS: Ha! Only a two count! Gonna take more than that to take my boy JT down.

JIMMY YATES: Regardless of whether John Thomas had kicked out or not, that was still an excellent counter from a very well-versed grappler in Devastation.

Devastation then gets back up to his feet and catches Thomas with an over the shoulder jawbreaker, causing John to hold his jaw in a great deal of pain, Devastation then goes for a discus punch to the jaw of John Thomas, but gets caught in another standing armbar. Quickly positioning himself behind Devastation, John leaps up and does a dropkick to the back of the shoulder. Devastation drops down to one knee, grabbing his shoulder. JT then reapplies the armbar, keeping it locked up as he heads to the top rope.

ALAN DUCARD: Looks like John Thomas is trying to go up to the top rope for a little bit of New School, perhaps?

BRYAN HARRIS: He's gonna break Devastation's arm if he keeps it up and I hope that crybaby gets his arm broke!

JIMMY YATES: Whatever happened to unbiased commentary there, Bryan?

BRYAN HARRIS: Shove it, Mr. I always cheer for the good guys!

JT then keeps the armbar locked in and tries to jump off the top rope, but Devastation throws him off the top rope. However, JT does not let go and tries to lock in a cross armbar submission, but Devastation is too close to the ropes and John Thomas has to break the hold.

ALAN DUCARD: It appears John's good friend Ron Bailey has been influencing him with that mixed martial arts-style Jujigatame there.

BRYAN HARRIS: Forget Fedor Emelianko, John Thomas is the baddest man on the planet!

JIMMY YATES: If by baddest man, you mean a low-life worm who turned his back on his best friend, then yeah, he truly is a bad man!

BRYAN HARRIS: The truth hurts, doesn't it Jimbo?

John Thomas then runs against the ropes and catches Devastation with a running somersault neckbreaker before he heads toward the top rope, posturing to the fans, taunting them all the way up as he goes for the Above Average Moonsault. As he flies off, Devastation gets his knees up directly on JT's chest.

ALAN DUCARD: Very nice counter there by Devastation and this could be just the opening he needs to win this match!

BRYAN HARRIS: Come on, JT! Snap out of it!

JIMMY YATES: John Thomas is winded and in a bad way right now.

With John rolling around on the mat in pain, Devastation gets to his feet and then kicks JT in the gut. Reaching down, Dev picks his opponent up, pulls him in and drills a short-arm forearm to the face. Without letting go of John, Devastation lifts him up off the mat and drives him downwards with a urinage, sending him back-first onto the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: Devastation’s typically overlooked power is on full display there, and after being slammed down into the mat, John Thomas isn’t feeling too good right about now.

JIMMY YATES: You can see it in his eyes, Devastation knows he’s in control.

Lifting John off the mat, Devastation grabs him around the legs and hoists him up over his shoulder, letting JT slide part of the way down his back.

ALAN DUCARD: Here comes the Decapitator!

BRYAN HARRIS: It’s too early!!

Before Devastation can connect with the Decapitator, John Thomas pulls his legs out from his opponent’s grasp and pulls himself down to the mat. Devastation turns around and immediately starts stomping down onto John. Before JT can go anywhere, Devastation spins to the side and drops an elbow which connects to the middle of John’s chest. As Devastation gets to his feet, John Thomas takes the lull in action to his slight advantage and rolls to his side, exiting the ring under the bottom rope. Getting his feet underneath of him, John shakes the cobwebs, then turns and starts walking up the ramp.

ALAN DUCARD: What a bloody coward! He just took his ball and has apparently gone home!

BRYAN HARRIS: No, this is SMART because he doesn't need to injure himself against Devastation.

JIMMY YATES: Damn it, it can't end like this!

Referee Leonard Nolan reluctantly as Devastation looks on in helpless frustration.

One... Two...

Three... Four...

Five... Six...

Seven... Eight...

Nine...

TEN!!!

Josephina Colbert: Ladies and Gentlemen, due to the result of a count-out... here is your winner... DEVASTATION!!!

The referee raises Devastation's hand who looks absolutely frustrated with the way he won the match as he kicks the ropes before climbing out of the ring and walking to the back with his hands on his hips.

ALAN DUCARD: That young man has every right to be furious with the way this altercation ended.

BRYAN HARRIS: The bottom line is John Thomas was not going to risk an injury against Devastation so he decided discretion was the better part of valor and walked away to fight another day.

JIMMY YATES: Oh, you're full of it Bryan! John Thomas was a coward for walking away and he cheated these fans out of a technical masterpiece!

The arena goes dark, the lights blotting out one by one, until the masses are bathed in pitch black nothingness. A pounding guitar riff then shakes the foundations of the building, leading us into Blue Oyster Cult's “Don't Fear The Reaper.” Two blasts of flame trigger from both sides at the top of the ramp, cutting through the dark, and continuing to blast off at intervals every few seconds. A chilling spotlight falls in front of the curtains, washing the area with white light as our intended visitor makes his presence known.

The Ivory Terror steps out from behind the curtains, coming to a stop in the center of the spotlight and looking out at the crowd from right to left. His face is set in a grave expression, his forehead sporting bandages thanks to Blade's last assault against him. Issac's head turns slowly, as if on a swivel taking in the crowd reaction. An intense negative response roars from all sides, booing and jeering being directed at the seven foot albino demon from every inch of the building.

Issac's wearing pair of black pin-striped slacks, and a white button up shirt with a black tribal skull design on the back just below the collar. His sleeves are rolled up to the forearms, and his shirt is unbuttoned halfway down the chest, exposing a black muscle tee beneath. His eyes are covered by large aviator sunglasses with a brown tint, and his long white hair is kept in check with a neat ponytail. The massive albino draws in a deep breath, pulling air into his maw past sharpened teeth. As the cameras draw closer in frame, Issac begins to stalk down to the ring, a mic gripped in one pale hand. Upon reaching the apron he climbs up, then enters the ring by stepping over the top rope. The Ivory Terror circles the ring for a moment, seeming to think deeply about something, then suddenly he stops in his tracks, bringing the mic slowly to his lips, the suspense growing unbearable for the crowd.

The Ivory Terror: It's time. Time that this war came to an end. If we keeping going at this the way we are now, both of us will be grinded away to nothing before it's all said and done. We have to finish what we started, Greyson. Therefore, I hope you'll at least pay me the respect of coming down to this ring and talking to me. Face to face. No outside elements. Just the monster and the legend, standing toe to toe in the middle of this ring. That's all I'm asking for.”

Entragian lowers the mic, his gaze falling upon the ramp as he waits to see if his request will be answered. Just the mention of Blade's name has caused a WAVE of cheering to come pouring out of the crowd, proving just how amped up they are. Issac's stance doesn't change, he just nods his head once, in recognition of the ovation the crowd is giving his nemesis. It is then that “Outlaw Torn” hits the PA system of the Rose Garden Arena, and the capacity crowd now goes crazy for the appearance of The No Limits Champion at the top of the rampway.

The Outlaw is dressed in his newly available “Demand Respect” t-shirt, and a pair of jeans in contrast to the more formal wear of his opponent. The No Limits Title is strapped around The Outlaw’s waist, and he carries a mic in his left hand as he walks to the ring to meet Entragian face to face. Upon arriving to the ring, Blade steps through the ropes, and stares down the monster, as his music dies down, and the chant of “Blade” picks up from the legions of LEGACY fans.

The Outlaw: I said last week that for now I would consider us even. You haven’t crossed me since I left you in that parking lot, so that respect of coming down to this ring? Well, here I am.

Entragian steps forward, raising his mic and looking Blade over.

The Ivory Terror: Yes, here you are. The bane of my existence. The one man who has rebuked me at all turns in regaining that No Limit Championship. We've been on a crusade, Outlaw. A crusade to destroy each other, both in hopes of gaining or retaining that championship title. We've brought new meaning to the term "No Limits", and considering that, I believe it's time to draw things to a close.

Issac drops his head, strands of white hair falling into his face, his green eyes peeking out from behind his sunglasses.

The Ivory Terror: I'm done with crossing you where it doesn't count. From this point on, I look to cross you only ONCE more, and that's in the middle of this ring, with that title on the line ONE more time. You may notice the emphasis I'm putting on words like "one" and "once", and that's because if I can't beat you this time, I'm finished trying. If you defeat me during this "final" match, then I will pick up my broken carcass and pursue other things. I'll accept the realization that I am just not meant to beat a legend, and I'll even accept what you told me once already....I'll accept that I'm not main event material.

Issac pauses, his voice low and grave.

The Ivory Terror: I'll move on, Greyson. It's just that simple. But I'd like to chance to prove to MYSELF, more than anyone else, that I can beat you. What do you say, Blade? You up for one last grand finale in this saga of violence we've woven together?

The Outlaw looks at monster before him, speaking not with the false bravado that had once typified his grand threats, but perhaps for the first time with The Outlaw speaking with sincerity and recognizing the reality of the situation before him, and there is no trepidation or pensiveness in Blade’s response.

The Outlaw: Am I up for it? Am I ready to step into this ring with you and defend my title one last time? You’re damn right I’m ready. The better question is though Issac? Are YOU ready?

The Outlaw looks to Issac with his comment, not mocking him but truly questioning him.

The Outlaw: Are you ready, Issac? Are you ready to enter a match where you have everything to gain and everything to lose all in one night? You talk about this match being the last time for us to battle each other over the No Limits Championship, but this goes beyond the gold doesn’t it? This is personal, and this could shape the entire LEGACY landscape for months and years to come.

You called me the bane of your existence Issac, and it’s because I’ve pushed you. I’ve taken your best shots and responded in kind, and each time you’ve failed to put me down. Each time ou’ve failed to take the gold from me. Not only have you failed in each of those endeavors, but also I’ve beaten you and I’ve humiliated you, choking you out in the middle of this ring. The way you went about your business as a monster didn’t fly when you stepped into the ring with me, and now you are faced with the highest risk, highest reward situation of your entire career.

Greyson takes a step closer to Issac, and runs a hand across his jaw.

The Outlaw: You see, if you win?

The crowd jeers that possibility not wanting to acknowledge that possibility.

The Outlaw: Then you have the instant credibility that I’ve said you’ve lacked for months. You will have been the first man to cleanly pin my shoulders to the canvas in over two years. You will have beaten a former LEGACY World Champion, the current No Limits Champion, and a verified, Grade A, 100% legend of this business. Son, you will have entered the Main Event by finally besting the man that you just called the bane of your existence, the man that has pushed you and beaten you to the point that you have stopped just shy of accepting failure. Think of it Issac, that respect, that prestige, and that relief will finally be yours, and so will my title.

The Outlaw holds the gold up in front of Issac, watching his eyes draw close to the gold, and stepping closer to Issac before finally backing away and putting the gold over his shoulder.

The Outlaw: Now if you lose?

The crowd roars in approval and Blade has to smile at those cheers.

The Outlaw: If you lose Issac it’s all over. Your rise to the top is finished. You will have tried four times to beat me, and all four times you will have failed. People will question your abilities, they will question your focus, and they will question just where you really belong in LEGACY. Let’s face it, wiping the mat with guys like Matt Towers and Mostafa Bashir is exactly the pinnacle of a career. People will write you off and file you away, maybe to trot you out here and there to scare a few toddlers and hit a gutbuster or two on some local boys, but your days of challenging and hanging with the elite will be over.

The Outlaw knows he’s speaking a bit in hyperbole, but Issac seems to get the message as angry as it makes him. He can see the razor-sharp teeth clench in Issac’s mouth.

The Outlaw: It’s all on the line for you Issac – it is all on the line in the biggest match of your career, and I want you to ask yourself the question you asked me. Are you ready Issac?

The Outlaw moves in and gets right in Entragain’s face, and he remains silent.

The Outlaw: I asked you a question Entrgain … are you f***ing ready?

Issac's seeming to be struggling to control that murderous rage, and resisting the urge to just strike out at Greyson here and now. Entragian leans down and meet's Blade's stare, their noses practically touching. When he speaks, his words are venomous, lighted up with the passion of his final goal, yet beneath there is that surprising undercurrent of respect for the nemesis that stands before him.

The Ivory Terror: You're right, Outlaw. You've pushed me to my breaking point.

Issac glares with an almost terrifying intensity.

The Ivory Terror: And now? Now it's time that I push BACK. So Greyson...you can bet your legendary ass that

I

AM

READY!

Having said that Issac whips the mic down, spiking it into the canvas. He leans in, keeping the staredown with Greyson tight, before breaking away and exiting the ring via a backwards flip over the top rope. Entragian starts to walk backwards up the ramp, looking back to the ring and mouthing the words "I'm ready" while pointing one pale index finger back at The Outlaw as his music plays on his exit, and then the footage switches to an advertisement.

When the advertisement fades out, we return to the recap position.

JIMMY YATES: Our third match of the night is the first tag team match of the evening, pitting Fast Times up against the makeshift team of Laura Depp and Mostafa Bashir.

ALAN DUCARD: This marks Laura Depp’s in-ring debut here in LEGACY, and many are wondering what they can expect from her after weeks of her asking to be considered an in-ring competitor and not just a manager.

BRYAN HARRIS: Anyone who is hoping to be wowed by Laura Depp, you should probably set your expectations low, because seriously, what can you expect out of a woman wrestler against men?

ALAN DUCARD: Well a lot of people were wondering the same thing, Bryan, and we had hoped this match would give us a clue as to her talents…

BRYAN HARRIS: I’ve seen her in spandex tonight, I KNOW what her talents are!

JIMMY YATES: Let’s just get to the footage...

Start : Footage from the Match

Mostafa Bashir blocks a right hand from Jimmy Smith and then sends a thumping forearm into his chest, backing him up a step. Another one backs him up even more, and then a headbutt from Mostafa sends Big Jimmy back-first into the corner. Grabbing Jimmy around the waist, Mostafa holds his opponent up into a very high bearhug, then backs up quickly and falls backwards, letting Jimmy’s throat drop right across the top rope.

BRYAN HARRIS: What an absolutely BRUTAL move there by Mostafa Bashir, and I don’t know where he learned it, but I’m impressed!!

JIMMY YATES: The guy’s a street fighter from Afghanistan, I’m sure it didn’t exactly take a lot of ingenuity to think about dropping a guy’s neck over something!

Getting to his feet, Mostafa Bashir stomps down onto Jimmy Smith, then kicks him in the ribs. Turning around, he sees his tag team partner begging to enter the match, so he turns around and tags Laura Depp into the match. Quickly entering the ring, Laura waits for Jimmy to get up off his feet, and she immediately jumps in and connects with a high dropkick, knocking Jimmy back down to the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: LEGACY’s only female competitor got quite a bit of air underneath that jump!

BRYAN HARRIS: Say what you will about her, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s athletic!

The competitors and fans alike are surprised as "Angry Again" by Megadeth begins to play throughout the arena. Suddenly Chris Turner appears at the entrance ramp holding a mic.

Chris Turner: Laura.... Before you step into that ring, there's something I need to say to you. I realize that I've been going about this manager thing the wrong way. I shouldn't have been threatening you AND beating you up.

The fans get quiet, and Laura has a confused look on her face.

Chris Turner: I realized I should have stuck to one or the other, because both is kind of overkill. And then I was TRYING to speak to Stephen, and he mentioned something about an ultimatum. And you know... I think he is right. I feel the only way I will get through to you is to give YOU an Ultimatum.

In the ring, Laura mouths “A what?!”

Chris Turner: I know you... And I, knowing this is your first match is Legacy, I know that you really really want to win.... Therefore let's make a deal. You say "yes" right now to being my manager, and I will make sure you win your match tonight, and keep a "cute little 1-0 record”... OR... You say no, and I will make sure you lose... And lose horribly! So... What's it gonna be? Huh? Yes, or no! You have 20 seconds to make up your mind!

Laura quickly climbs down from the ring apron and grabs a mic. She then gives Turner an intense staredown as she speaks.

Laura: I don't need 20 seconds... YES!

Turner then nods, and runs to the ring. No one sure what Chris Turner is going to do, he rises to his feet and suddenly begins to pummel Mostafa Bashir, and Don Bower has no alternative but to call for the bell.

Josephina Colbert: The winners of this match as a result of a disqualification… Mostafa Bashir and Laura Depp!!

As soon as the announcement is made, Chris Turner backs off, drops to the mat and exits the ring, slowly backing up the ramp, making sure no one is following.

BRYAN HARRIS: Well, he made good on his promise to get Laura Depp a victory!

ALAN DUCARD: Yeah, but that still doesn't change the fact that we don't know whether or not she can wrestle.

This portion of Legacy is opened in the backstage, in some sort of lobby area. In the background, there are some candy and soda machines lined up. On the side of them, there are some couches, and sitting on one of the couches is Tyrone "Crazy Boy" Smith. He is sitting there, eyes closed, getting mentally prepared for his 6 man tag team match coming up later on Strife. He leans back on the couch and sighs, eyes still closed, until he hears some footsteps approaching the lobby area, he slowly opens up his eyes and frowns when he sees who it is.

CB: What do YOU want?

The figure comes into view of the camera as it is none other than Eli Storm.

Storm: I...I just want to know something.

Crazy Boy leans forward on the couch a little bit and sighs, shaking his head, but his eyes are locked on to Storm.

CB: I'm listening.

Storm: Is he really worth it, Tyrone? Is he really worth throwing away all your dreams and desires?

CB sighs again, not looking away from Storm as he frowns, his brow furrowing deep on his face. His temples start to throb, as what they do when he gets a little angry. He leans back on the couch again and sighs once more.

CB: Look, Storm, if it wasn't for Blade, I wouldn't be where I am at right now in Legacy. If he didn't take me under his wing a few months back, I would be floundering around in the lower card, probably not even a blip on anyone’s radar. So, yes I believe it is worth it. But I know that is not why you are out here, so get on with the REAL reason.

Storm almost looks sad as if he doesn't want to continue. But he sighs and does anyway.

Storm: Then I'm truly sorry that you must throw away everything because he is too much of a coward to face me himself. From this point on, Tyrone... whatever happens, you can turn to your mentor and blame him.

Tyrone looks up and stands up from the couch and rubs his temples, as his frown doesn't cease from his face.

CB: Is that why you attacked me last week? Because you feel sorry for me? Don't make me laugh. You attacked me because I was going to beat YOUR friend, Isaac Entragain, and you didn't want to see that happen.

Storm: Friend? Heh, you can't be that much of a fool. Isaac isn't a friend. What I did was because Blade needed to be shown that no action goes unpunished. He cost me my title shot. But since he doesn't want to face me I took it out on the next best person, you. And to be honest, until I get my hands on him...you are nothing more than a pawn between me and Greyson.

Tyrone nods and sits back down in the couch, a kind of a sly grin appearing on his face.

CB: Well, you are right about one thing, Storm. No action shall go unpunished, and I will make sure you get what's coming to you in the match later tonight. I'll show you that I am not a pawn and I can handle my own.

Storm: Then so be it.

Storm just shakes his head and walks away.

Chris Turner and Laura Depp are walking through the hallways and they come to a door.

Chris Turner: And this is our locker room!

Laura: Chris... I know what a locker room is.

Chris Turner: Of course you do. But you didn't know where OUR locker room was.

Laura: Your name's on the door!

Chris glares at her as he opens the door.

Chris Turner: And this is Damien-

He sees Reverend Ezekiel Caine sitting, talking to Black.

Chris Turner: And The stupid reverend? What the hell is he doing here Damien?

Damien just glares at Turner with anger upon seeing Laura as he glares at laura, the Turner before speaking.

Damien Black: I... WANT... EZEKIEL!

Turner: Well too bad! We're a tag team now... Get it? TEAM! We fired Ezekiel! He STILL hasn't gotten us our rematch! Why would you want him back? Sure Laura's a woman, but she heals fast! Get rid of him! NOW!

Damien shakes his head "No" at Turner. Just before Turner can head towards Black, the Reverend steps in front of the two of them and begins to speak.

Reverend Ezekiel Caine: If I may make a suggestion to this little quandry we're mired in, might I suggest that I fight this foul temptress for the rights to manage you and Damien? Does that appease the two of you?

Chris Turner: You in a wrestling match? HAH! That would be naptime to the 20th degree!

Laura: No Chris... I think he's right. Maybe we should have a match. Then I can prove my worth to Damien. Show him I'm not just SOME woman.

Chris scoffs at that remark.

Laura: And obviously I have to prove it to you too again as well!.

Chris Turner: Fine! If you want to waste everyones time by wrestling in a match against this thing... By all means. Do it. Who am I to stop you, other than you're employer?

Reverend Ezekiel Caine: Well then, Miss Depp... see you in that squared circle.

Laura: Yeah! See ya!

Chris Turner smiles.

Chris Turner: Dude, Damien.... The reverend's gonna squeal like well... Laura would.... That makes sense right?

Damien just shakes his head and sighs as he resumes taping his fists with his black wrist-tape. The camera cuts back to the recap position.

ALAN DUCARD: Our fourth match of the evening has Benjamin “Benny Boy” Jackson in his LEGACY debut match, taking on my fellow countryman, the Worldwide Bushido Buntai member Kevin Oppenheimer.

BRYAN HARRIS: In Kevin Oppenheimer, you know what you’re gonna get. He’s strong, he’s agile, and he loves to have fun, but as far as Jackson goes, thus far all I know is that he’s a goofy kid with a weird nickname.

JIMMY YATES: Well he got signed to LEGACY for a reason, so someone somewhere thought he was good enough to compete.

ALAN DUCARD: I have been told that as of now, Ben Jackson is not an official member of the LEGACY roster, and he is, infact, in a probationary status, meaning that for a while, his matches are all considered tryouts.

BRYAN HARRIS: Then he better make the most of this one, hadn’t he?

JIMMY YATES: Let’s see how he did.

Start : Footage from the Match

Kevin Oppenheimer whips Ben Jackson into the ropes and upon return Kevin sends him down to the mat hard with a vicious clothesline. Kevin drops a hard elbow to Ben’s sternum then quickly picks him up and executes three perfect European uppercuts that sent Ben into the corner.

ALAN DUCARD: This has been a really rough match for the new guy, Ben Jackson.

JIMMY YATES: He’s receiving a warm welcome to Legacy from one half of Worldwide Bushido Buntai, Kevin Oppenheimer. Who better?

BRYAN HARRIS: As long as it isn’t you. You’ve never been good at “welcomes.”

As soon as Kevin grabs Ben by the arm and goes for an Irish whip to the other turnbuckle, Ben shows an incredible amount of strength and stops all momentum. Ben sends a carefully placed punches to Kevin’s chin and hooks him for a vertical suplex which he pulls off perfectly. Ben then goes for the cover.

One.

Tw…

JIMMY YATES: Too early for a cover here. Unless he’s trying to play psychology with Kevin.

BRYAN HARRIS: It’s too early for you to even speak about psychology. You wouldn’t know it…

ALAN DUCARD: Easy children. It’s been a long match and I’m sure Ben was taking advantage of that.

Ben pulls Kevin to his feet and backs him into the ropes and Irish whips him to the other side of the ring. Upon return Ben goes for a clothesline which Kevin ducks and stops dead behind him.

ALAN DUCARD: Uh oh.

Ben turns around and is taken down hard with a bionic elbow shot to the forehead. Ben goes down but is up again and takes another hard bionic elbow. He’s up again and takes yet another shot to the head and he’s finally dropped.

JIMMY YATES: The Legend of Guy Fawkes. Ben did take quite a beating there.

ALAN DUCARD: You have to commend a guy for trying so hard after taking quite a few hard hits like that.

BRYAN HARRIS: Or call him an idiot for not just staying down and playing possum. Idiot.

Kevin grabs looks to be going for yet another signature move when he grabs both of Ben’s wrists and begins to lift him up from the mat. Ben isn’t completely out of it; however, and he counters it with a hard kick to Kevin’s knee which takes him down to one knee and gives him enough time to get to his feet.

ALAN DUCARD: OUCH! I felt that from clear over here.

BRYAN HARRIS: You would.

JIMMY YATES: Who pissed in your cheerios today? Doesn’t matter. This is turning into one hell of a match between Kevin Oppenheimer and Ben Jackson. It’s been back and forth all match.

ALAN DUCARD: You bet. Great work from the new guy. And Kevin just refuses to give in. The way they’re fighting, this could go on for a long time. I might go so far as to call this pay per view quality.

Ben grabs Kevin and immediately locks in an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring. Kevin yells out in pain and tries to work himself out of it but he’s simply clamped down on and Ben locks it in tighter as he wrenches back on him harder.

ALAN DUCARD: Kevin Oppenheimer in a world of hurt right now and with nowhere to go. Ben could win this right here and now.

BRYAN HARRIS: With an abdominal stretch? Come on Alan. Nobody wins with an abdominal stretch.

JIMMY YATES: Stranger things have happened. Uh oh, it looks like Kevin is pulling out of it.

Bryan spoke too soon and Ben pulls Kevin in and slams him down across his knee with a vicious backbreaker. He wastes no time in going for the cover.

One.

Two.

Th…

Kickout.

ALAN DUCARD: That was close.

JIMMY YATES: Very close.

BRYAN HARRIS: He was just taking his time. He’s not hurt at all.

Ben picks Ben up and quickly body slams him to the mat then runs to the turnbuckle and ascends to the top rope and waits for Kevin to get to his feet.

JIMMY YATES: What the hell is he doing? Is he going to do a standing dropkick or something?

BRYAN HARRIS: Who knows. But Kevin is stirring and he’s not aware of where Ben is at.

Kevin gets to his feet and turns around to see Ben flying at him with a cross body block from the top rope. Kevin steadies himself and catches him. He steadies himself for a moment and walks backward with him clutched in his hands.

ALAN DUCARD: Mind the Gap!!!

Kevin throws Ben over his head in a fall away slam then follows it up with a backflip and goes for the cover on Ben Jackson. Referee Jacob Fudrucker starts the count.

One.

Two.

Three!

Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner by pinfall... Kevin... Oppenheimer!!!

ALAN DUCARD: Tough loss for Ben Jackson in his opening match in Legacy but he worked hard and I see a bright future for him.

JIMMY YATES: He definitely did a good job out there. I expect great things out of him.

BRYAN HARRIS: Blah, blah, blah… Kevin continues to kick people’s asses and shows he doesn’t need his Bushido Buntai tag team partner.

Our cameras go backstage where we soon see Devastation walking the halls still clad in his ring gear and heading back to his locker room. He walks a few feet when Andrew Kelley approaches him, microphone in hand, and begins to ask Devastation some questions.

Andrew Kelley: Devastation, could I get your thoughts on your match with John Thomas earlier this evening?

Devastation stops and takes a couple of steps towards Andrew.

Devastation: Well, obviously I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to pin him or make him submit. That was the goal going into the match. But I did beat him and that’s got to count for something.

Andrew Kelley: So are you satisfied with that outcome?

Devastation looks down for a bit, away from Andrew Kelley, before he looks back up and eyes him once more. Then he answers the question.

Devastation: I wouldn’t say that I’m satisfied. I wanted to beat him convincingly and I didn’t do that. But the bottom line is that I beat him. For all John Thomas runs his mouth about his ascent to the gold and begging for the best that I have to offer he still can’t match me when we square off in that ring. He can’t beat me. He never has and he never will.

A voice calls out from off screen.

“Whoa, hold up!”

Devastation and Andrew Kelley turn their attention on Ron Bailey as he walks up to them, accompanied by Helena Fitzgerald, who is wearing a scoop neck top which shows a considerable amount of her perky round breasts’ cleavage.

Ron Bailey: You talkin’ about my boy JT? ‘Cause that’s what it sounds like.

Ron rubs his chin.

Ron Bailey: It sound like you just said that he can’t beat you, and if you runnin’ around talkin’ about things like that, you gonna give people the impression that somethin’ wrong with him – like some kind of injury of some kind, and that’s not good for his reputation OR for the oddsmakers. You saw what he did to Rocky Stellar, right?

Calmly, Devastation responds.

Devastation: I did, but I also experienced first hand what he was capable of doing in the ring.

Ron Bailey: Well my new manager, Helena Fitzgerald, she and I were hopin’ to get me into some sort of a high profile match for the pay per view…

Helena Fitzgerald: How about it, Ron Bailey vs Devastation?

Even as Ron Bailey gets a little more heated, Devastation keeps his cool head about him.

Devastation: That depends. It’s obvious that you and John train together. If I agree to wrestle you at the pay per view, are you just going to walk out on the match when the going gets tough?

You can see the steam start coming out of Ron’s ears.

Ron Bailey: You ain’t that lucky, Dev.

Devastation: Wins by count out don’t always look so impressive, what assurance do I have that you won’t just bail out?

Helena Fitzgerald: How about we promise to give you our share of the fight purse if Ron intentionally gets himself counted out?

Ron gets wide eyed and looks over at Helena, who keeps her eyes on Devastation.

Devastation: That sounds fine by me, but it doesn’t appear that Ron likes the idea.

Turning his gaze to Devastation, then back to Helena, then back to Devastation.

Ron Bailey: Nah, I think that’s a good idea. If I get myself counted out, then you can have my share of the money, but I ain’t countin’ it if you hit me with some object or whatever and get me counted out yourself.

Devastation: Don’t worry, I intend on having the match end cleanly in the ring.

Ron Bailey: Yeah, me too.

Not so much as another word, Ron Bailey and Helena Fitzgerald walk off and we head back to the recap position.

ALAN DUCARD: Ladies and Gentlemen, up next we bring you footage of the first of our two main events here on Strife 40, a special 8-man tag team match.

JIMMY YATES: Travis Rollins had his hands full keeping order in this one Alan, and that comes as no surprise with just the numbers involved, but add to it that this match featured two of the hottest feuds in LEGACY with Blade and Entragain as well as Crazy Boy and Storm on opposite sides, this one was going to be wild.

BRYAN HARRIS: Yes it was wild Jimbo, but I think what really served as the wild card here is the team work from the other four competitors, namely Murdock and T.Rex versus Lucien and Damien. All of these guys as of late including Lucien and Damien have been focused on tag team wrestling, but the guys they were making the tags to were not the partners with whom they’ve been going to war. In fact, not only was there some impact here, but also in the mixed-up tag team match later on in the evening.

ALAN DUCARD: Well ladies and gentlemen without further ado, let’s take you now to footage of our first main event of the evening.

Start : Footage from the Match

As the scene fades in we can hear the LEGACY crowd groaning as Damien Black delivers a brutal Yakuza-style kick in a neutral corner to T. Rex. T. Rex’s head hangs down then, stunned, only for Damien to drive it back with a palm strike to the forehead. T. Rex is seeing stars as Damien quickly grabs him, pulls him into a facelock, and rocks him repeated knee strikes. Damien drives his knee into his opponent’s midsection again and again, softening him up, until finally he scoops T. Rex up and …

ALAN DUCARD: Damien Black with one half of ANARCHY up, and he tosses him back with the fallaway slam! Black makes the cover on a fighter who is 10 years his senior. Damien hooks the leg and we get the count from Travis Rollins.

ONE

TWO-NO! T. Rex gets his shoulder up, but let me tell you that each man on T. Rex’s team was ready dive in and break up that count.

BRYAN HARRIS: They better be ready, with T. Rex’s age I’m surprised he can absorb the punishment he already has in this match. Hell, I’m surprised he’s allowed to wrestle wearing that life-alert bracelet.

JIMMY YATES: Would you stop …

Damien Black sits up T. Rex and comes off the ropes, and drives a boot down into his head and into the canvas.

BRYAN HARRIS: Look you can hear him right now Jimmy, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

JIMMY YATES: Why is it when the fans start to get behind someone like they have with Anarchy with the growing re-acceptance of Loco Martzinez you start to mock them?

BRYAN HARRIS: Why is it you follow the crowd like a sheep Jimbo?

ALAN DUCARD: You both can settle your differences in allegiance another time, because right now we have a match going on here, and Damien Black sends T. Rex off with the Irish whip and T. Rex rebound with the Lou Thesz press, and now he’s wailing away on Damien!

The fans cheer with the impact and drop, and now T. Rex having delivered that series of punches is up and comes off the ropes with a stomp to the head, and then brings Black to a vertical base. T. Rex comes off the ropes and hits a back elbow smash that knocks Damien back, and when Black staggers forward to try and attack, T. Rex wraps him and takes him over …

ALAN DUCARD: There’s that trademark belly-to-belly suplex from T. Rex, and now it’s his turn to make the cover!

ONE

TWO-NO! Black gets the shoulder up, and this match will continue. T. Rex off the ropes down with the elbow drop to the sternum, and now there’s the Irish whip to the buckles. Black is stunned and here comes T. Rex with a big splash in the corner, and a flurry of right hands into another belly-to-belly suplex!

JIMMY YATES: T-Rex is making a second cover here guys and this one could do it!

BRYAN HARRIS: He has to watch that side of the ring is ready to strike.

ALAN DUCARD: ONE

TWO-NO! Eli Storm in with the kick to the back of the head, and now T. Rex is livid, and he’s after Eli Storm, but he runs right into a BIG fist from Lucien Gray, and T. Rex fires back instinctively with a punch of his own to escape the big man’s grasp!

BRYAN HARRIS: Damien is getting up now and here comes the charges from T. Rex and Damien takes him up and over with the back body drop and both men are down! T. Rex got distracted with Eli and Lucien, and now this match is at a turning point.

JIMMY YATES: Both men are crawling now to make the tag, and this crowd wants to see some fresh combatants. I know this crowd has been calling to see Crazy Boy and Storm or Blade and Entragain tangle here, but winning this match I think any fresh competitor would be a plus.

ALAN DUCARD: I think T. Rex and Damien are going to go for the closest option, and T. Rex makes the tag to Ben “RAGE” Murdock, and here comes RAGE!

RAGE hits the ring gunning for Damien, but Black reaches out and makes the tag to Lucien Gray who steps through the ropes, oozing the confidence that comes with being 6’9 and over 400 pounds! Murdock takes a step back from the monster who beckons for him to come.

BRYAN HARRIS: Look at the sheer size of that man. He might be the biggest man at that combination of height and weight here in LEGACY, and Murdock is NOT a small individual himself but Lucien seems to dwarf him.

ALAN DUCARD: He’s always been dangerous Bryan, but now with Mirage guiding him and motivating him, I think he’s looking to tear people apart, and now he’s just begging for RAGE to come at him, and RAGE does. There’s a bit right hand from RAGE, and another and another. RAGE with the big uppercut and a headbutt! He’s starting to stagger the big man, and now RAGE takes to the ropes and delivers a clothesline!

BRYAN HARRIS: Look at that, that clothesline just knocked Lucien off balance, but he’s still standing.

RAGE charges Lucien again, but this time Gray snatches him up by the throat and heaves him up, choking him in midair as the referee admonishes him before driving RAGE down with a chokebomb that draws a gasp from the crowd.

JIMMY YATES: My God that’s some serious power from Lucien. He just manhandled RAGE, and now he wants an even bigger fight, and here comes T. Rex to the inside. Lucien meets him with a devastating boot to the face! Crazy Boy going to the top rope and leaps, and Lucien catches him in mid air and tosses him into The Outlaw who had a bead on Gray, and now all four members of The Outlaw’s team are down courtesy of the behemoth that is Lucien Gray!

BRYAN HARRIS: The referee shouldn’t have allowed all four of them to battle Lucien like that but it was damn sure an impressive result, and now all four men are picking themselves up for round two. Gray is motioning for them to bring it, and he just might take out the entire squad on this second round!

RAGE looks to T. Rex and then they both charge at Lucien who grabs each one around the throat, but both men go low and drive dual boots into the midsection. Crazy Boy heads for the outside as T. Rex and RAGE hook the arms and take Lucien up and over with a big double vertical suplex!

ALAN DUCARD: Big double team move from RAGE and T. Rex, probably future opponents, but tonight teammates.

JIMMY YATES: They have a common background working the bouncing circuit Alan and their offensive styles are similar, so that cohesion seems to be there tonight.

The ring shakes with the impact as RAGE tags in Crazy Boy who heads for the top rope, and leaps , connecting with a big frog splash on Lucien, and then looks to the corner with a smile where The Outlaw has positioned himself.

ALAN DUCARD: Round 2 hasn’t gone so well for Lucien, and now Blade is sizing up the monster just like he did at the Opportunity Ladder match at Elevated Tensions. Gray is getting to his feet, trying to clear the cobwebs!

The Outlaw waits and as the crowd roars he takes off across the ring, and as Lucien turns, The Outlaw delivers the final blow of his team’s assault, leveling the wobbly Lucien Gray with his patented KILLSHOT.

ALAN DUCARD: KILLSHOT! Blade takes Lucien down with that massive blow!

BRYAN HARRIS: No way without those other attacks Blade can do that!

JIMMY YATES: Well Lucien pushed his luck, and now Blade is going for the pin – no! Issac hits the ring, Eli hits the ring, and here comes Damien Black! This one has completely broken down!

Issac hits the ring first and catches Blade from behind who saw Black coming at him to stop the pin. Entragain hits a huge clothesline to the back of the head before tossing Blade over the top rope to the outside. Black immediately went for RAGE, and both men began trading blows with Black using that martial arts edge and RAGE just using traditional punches to slug it out. T. Rex takes up Blade’s spot against Entragain and surprises the larger man with some chops driving him into the corner for some shoulder charges, but Issac finally breaks out with dual chops down to the neck. Crazy Boy went after Eli Storm full steam ahead, but Eli would have none of it, going through the ropes and dropping down to the outside. Crazy Boy followed him to the ropes, but was immediately clubbed down with a blow to the back, and Lucien Gray still holding his head and ribs, makes the tag to Eli Storm as Travis Rollins has managed to restore some semblance of order.

ALAN DUCARD: It looks like this match might continue with some semblance of order here, and our legal men appear to be Eli Storm and Crazy Boy.

JIMMY YATES: Eli is all too happy to be in there now with Crazy Boy after Lucien’s shot from behind gave Storm the opening and the advantage.

BRYAN HARRIS: Obviously you are trying to paint Eli as a coward Jimbo, but what you aren’t seeing is just how Storm is using his great intelligence to take every advantage he can in this match up.

And take advantage he does with Storm slamming CB’s head off of the top turnbuckle in his own corner before kneeing him in the gut and spinning into a bulldog out of the corner.

ALAN DUCARD: That knee-bulldog is a Storm signature move, and now Eli pulls CB up and takes him up and over with the snap suplex. Storm now off the ropes, and he droops the knee on Tyrone’s skull.

BRYAN HARRIS: He’s looking to weaken Crazy Boy and deliver one of the most devastating maneuvers in the business, the Ratings Boost. Did you know people actually tune in just to see that move Jimbo?

JIMMY YATES: It is impressive Bryan, but I don’t think that’s the real reason people are tuning into LEGACY programming.

BRYAN HARRIS: People love to see Eli drop people on their heads, what can I say, and now it looks as if Eli is looking to drop Crazy Boy on his head.

Eli pulls CB to his feet and quickly drops him with a second snap suplex.

BRYAN HARRIS: Although seeing as how he acts normally I’m not sure you could tell the before from the after!

Jimmy and Alan just look at Bryan and shake their heads as he cackles at his own put down. The crowd doesn’t like where this is headed as Eli delivers three straight kicks to CB, starting low to the thigh and then the ribs and then the jaw, knocking him back to the buckles in the neutral corner. Storm runs in and delivers the high knee to CB, and then grabbing him flips him back out of the corner with the monkey flip. Storm gets to his feet, and then begins posing for the crowd that jeers him and immediately rises up with a “Let’s Go Crazy” chant. Storm sneers and waves them off and sees CB getting to his feet, and charges. However, at the last second CB goes low and scoops Storm!

ALAN DUCARD: Crazy Boy has Storm in the airplane spin!

JIMMY YATES: You know what that means! CRAZY AIRLINES – DESTINATION …. SAMOA!

ALAN DUCARD: And there’s the big Samoan drop on Storm!

BRYAN HARRIS: Storm needs to make the tag now and not lose momentum!

CB is up in spite of the beating he’s taken, and he pulls Storm to his feet and sends him front first into a neutral corner, and as Storm staggers back, a running Crazy Boy catches him and slams him down to the canvas with a big neckbreaker. The crowd roars in approval as CB pulls Eli to his feet and scooping him hits a big backbreaker, and immediately hooks the leg.

ALAN DUCARD: There’s the cover from CB!

ONE

TWO

T-NO! Storm gets the shoulder up and CB is going to have to finish Eli off some other way to win this match.

JIMMY YATES: CB is motioning for it now, and yes he’s looking for the Crazy Slam. CB with the arm hook taking Storm up and … STORM DROPS DOWN THE OTHER SIDE PUSHING CB AWAY!

BRYAN HARRIS: And Storm makes the tag to Issac Entragain, Jimbo, and here comes the Ivory Terror.

Entragain hits the ring and he’s looking for blood as he blocks a CB punch, and flattens him with a haymaker. CB tries to get up, but is immediately caught by Entrgain by the throat, and where Lucien had failed previously, Issac succeeds and chokeslams CB dead center in the middle of the ring. He puts a boot CB’s chest and looks over to Greyson, their eyes locking, and Issac points to Blade as the fans jeer such a lackadaisical pin attempts.

ALAN DUCARD: Issac with the “pin” …

ONE

TWO

T-NO! CB gets the shoulder up, and Issac, almost counting on it, pulls CB to his feet and he starts in with that punching combination he calls the BLIZZARD COMETH!

BRYAN HARRIS: Right body shot. Left jab to the face. Right jab to the face. Left body shot, and that STRONG UPPERCUT to the jaw knocks Crazy Boy into the air and to the canvas.

JIMMY YATES: Now what’s he doing? He’s putting CB in … the iron claw! A trademark of the Von Erich’s and Baron Von Raschke! He’s really putting a lot of pressure on CB’s head, and you don’t usually see a submission hold win a tag match because of the presence of the partners, but he could use this hold to take out Crazy and make him easy pickings.

The crowd is on the edge of their seats as are the fighters at ringside as Crazy Boy clutches futilely at Issac’s arm, and he slowly brings Tyrone down to his knees. Issac smiles cruelly at his handiwork, and then he looks over to The Outlaw and motions with his free hand, sending a message to The No Limits Champion. Crazy Boy looks like he’s beginning to fade as his arms slip from fighting Entrgain’s grip, and Issac looks then over to his corner to be ready for them to strike and prevent the breaking of the hold by CB’s team mates. A small trickle of blood begins to come from CB’s nose much to the horror of the crowd and the delight of the Ivory Terror, and the “Let’s Go Crazy” chant picks up again with renewed vigor and it grows to an almost feverish pitch as Travis Rollins moves in to check the arm, suddenly there are six other legs starting to step inside the ring as the arm falls once. Rollins grabs the arm a second time, and a fist flies up and is driven into Issac’s lower abs, and a second, and a third, and the crowd roars as CB begins swinging wildly with everything he has, unloading into the giant before him.

ALAN DUCARD: Tyrone’s fighting for all he’s worth here in Portaland! Punch after punch he hammers away on Entragain’s midsection, and Issac is loosening his grip, and he brings in that second hand into a choke! CB kicks him I the gut, hooks the head …. DDT!

JIMMY YATES: He’s going for the tag! CB is going for the tag!

BRYAN HARRIS: NO! Someone stop him! Don’t let him get the fresh man in here!

CB crawls on the canvas, stretching that hand out as he goes, and Issac begins pulling himself up on the ropes, and shaking out the cobwebs, and he then turns, hearing the crowd in the Rose Garden Arena explode as Crazy Boy lunges to his corner ….

JIMMY YATES: CRAZY BOY MAKES THE TAG, AND HERE COMES THE OUTLAW!

Blade hits the ring as fast as the big man can, and he goes for Entragain, meeting him with a series of brutal lefts and rights. The hammering blows knock Entragain back to the ropes and The Outlaw goes for the Irish whip, but is reversed by The Ivory Terror. Greyson comes back on the rebound and ducks under an Entragain big boot attempt. As Issac turns, The Outlaw scoops him up and delivers a huge spinebuster!

ALAN DUCARD: The Shades of Grey spinebuster connects on Issac, and now The Outlaw is really looking fired up as he pulls Entragain to his feet and hammers him with two right hands, and then scooping him over his shoulder, he runs and there’s the big powerslam into the pin!

ONE

TWO

T-NO! Issac kicks out, but The Outlaw isn’t done yet!

JIMMY YATES: No he’s not Alan, and Blade is up and he has Entragain to his feet and there’s the Irish whip to the neutral corner. Blade charges in and now here come those shoulder shots, mimicking that Killshot power.

Again and again Blade drives home the shoulder into Entragain’s ribs, before finally stopping to hoist him up the buckles. The fans watch in interest as Blade hooks the arms …

BRYAN HARRIS: What is Blade trying to do up there?

ALAN DUCARD: He has the arms and he’s hoisting Issac up and …

JIMMY YATES: Blade hits the superplex! He hits the superplex on Issac, and now he makes the cover!

ALAN DUCARD: ONE

TWO

TH-NO! Issac looks like he could kick out but Storm hits the ring and drives the boot into Blade’s shoulders, and The Outlaw is livid! He’s going for Storm and there’s a huge punch to the face, and he slams Storm’s face off the turnbuckle.

The Outlaw’s attention to Storm gets Eli leveled, but Issac has that moment he needs to recover, and as Blade turns his attention back to Entragain, he pays for becoming distracted. Issac grabs him by the throat and delivers his second chokeslam of the night, but this time to The No Limits Champion. Blade lays stunned on the canvas, and Issac drops to make the cover.

ALAN DUCARD: The pin by Issac, and he’s definitely got the legs hooked this time!

ONE

TWO

T-NO! The Outlaw kicks out of that huge slam, but from the looks of things Issac is relishing the opportunity to punish Blade a bit more.

Issac grabs Greyson by the neck and pulls him to his feet. He scoops up The Outlaw, and drives him down on the knee with the ribbreaker before lifting him up and dropping him down face first on the buckles. Blade hits the canvas, and Issac eyes him up and charges, driving his knee into Blade’s head in the corner. Suddenly, the official motions for Issac to get out of the ring. Eli Storm then quickly enters.

ALAN DUCARD: Eli Storm is picking his spots here, having made the blind tag to his teammate, but it was recognized by the official.

JIMMY YATES: Look at Entragain’s eyes. He is NOT happy with Storm taking this opportunity to cherry pick Blade. You know Storm has talked trash on Blade ever since he cheated his way to a victory over Greyson months ago. I dare say he’s milked that so-called victory for months.

BRYAN HARRIS: A win is a win Jimbo. Who cares how right? If he can somehow beat Blade here tonight its just another feather in his cap.

Storm goes to work on Blade in the corner, kicking away at him like a man possessed. Finally, he pulls Blade to his feet out of the corner, and leaps up, hitting the Enziguri kick to the back of the head, and Storm makes the cover.

ALAN DUCARD: Eli Storm with the pin attempt!

ONE

TWO

THRE-NO! The Outlaw gets the shoulder off the canvas, and Storm can’t believe it! He goes for another immediate pin!

ONE

TWO

TH-NO! Again The Outlaw kicks out! Eli Storm pulling Blade to his feet and there’s a knee to the head, and Storm looking for a head of steam off the ropes, and …. Outlaw Drop!

JIMMY YATES: The Outlaw catches Storm with his version of the Samoan Drop on the rebound off the rope, and I think Blade is looking to make the tag!

BRYAN HARRIS: Storm had better find a way to stop him! He might be the most athletically gifted man in that ring, but momentum is a powerful thing in tag team wrestling.

Blade pushes himself up after The Outlaw Drop, and heads for his corner, but falls to a knee still trying to clear the cobwebs. Storm is up and charges at Blade as he tries to regain his footing, but out of nowhere, The Outlaw scoops Storm up and drives him down with a thunderous Shades of Gray spinebuster! The Outlaw staggers back from the blow to his corner and …

JIMMY YATES: THE OUTLAW MAKES THE TAG TO CRAZY BOY! HERE COMES TYRONE!

ALAN DUCARD: CB hits the ring and he has Storm up and there’s a right hand, and a left, and kick, and another kick, and an inverted atomic drop!

As CB starts to build a head of steam, he goes for the ropes, and on the opposite side of the ring, Damien takes the chance to kick CB through the ropes to slow him down, and CB’s teammates can’t hold back. T. Rex drops off the apron with RAGE and both men head around the ring, gunning for Damien and Lucien. T. Rex goes for Lucien and they begin brawling on the outside as RAGE and Damien go toe-to-toe just like they did the last time The Unholy Alliance battled Domination for the LEGACY Tag Team Titles.

ALAN DUCARD: We still have a match going on inside the ring, but now we have a brawl going outside the ring as Travis Rollins I think can do little to prevent this from happening. Lucien and T. Rex, RAGE and Damien are just hammering away on each other, and now Issac Entragain and Blade are battling it out inside the ring along side Crazy boy and Eli Storm. Crazy Boy with the clothesline, and now the Irish whip and the big back body drop on Storm!

JIMMY YATES: Unfortunately it looks like Issac is getting the better of The Outlaw, hammering away on his ribs!

The battle in the ring continues as Issac whips Blade over the top rope, and turns his attention to CB who has Storm by the neck on his knees. That distraction is all Storm needs, and Eli drives home a low blow on CB! The crowd groans in pain along with CB, but then jeers at Storm’s tactics. Those jeers are quickly replaced by cheers as The Outlaw who had been tossed but landed on the ring apron, is back in the ring, and Issac turns around and walks right into Blade who scoops him for his second Outlaw Drop of the contest.

BRYAN HARRIS: Eli Storm has CB in the standing headscissors and its time for The Ratings Boost! This one is about to be over! The most popular move in LEGACY today and … NO! NO! NO!

JIMMY YATES: Yes! The Outlaw with a MASSIVE clothesline on Storm from the side and he never saw it coming! CB is up … CB pulling Storm to his feet and he lifts him up …

The crowd sees it coming and the cheers build as Crazy Boy turns Storm slightly in position for that falcon arrow brainbuster.

ALAN DUCARD: CRAZY SLAM! CRAZY SLAM! CB DROPS STORM AND GOES FOR THE COVER!

ONE

TWO

THREE!

The crowd does wild as Travis Rollins signals for the bell, and CB stands tall over Storm, and The Outlaw raises his arm in celebration.

Josephina Colbert: Ladies and Gentlemen, your winners, the team of T. Rex, RAGE, The Outlaw, and Craaaaaaaazy Boy!

ALAN DUCARD: What a tag team main event we had here tonight!

BRYAN HARRIS: Eli Storm was screwed! He had CB, he had him and these fans wanted to see The Ratings Boost.

JIMMY YATES: I think the fans saw exactly what they wanted to see tonight Bryan, and we’re one step closer to these fighters settling the score live on Pay-Per-View.

There is some banging on the office doors and then suddenly Adam Davis bursts through, his eyes glaring. Before he even can get a word out, he is caught off guard by who is standing before him.

Davis: You?

The camera pans to show none other than Smith Cartwright. Cartwright looks up from the desk and nods his head knowing what's coming.

Davis: What the hell is going on around here? I think I more than deserve my chance at the the Tao of Valor title, and yet I got shot down? Seriously? I need to speak with Rob Belote immdiately, this is getting out of hand.

Cartwright nods taking it all in, and tries to stay calm and get the explaination out.

Cartwright: Well Adam, there has been a lot of confusion with things, but I promise you, Rob Belote is coming tonight, and you are going to get some answers.

Davis: I need to work this bullsh!t out right now! I am sick of this dog and pony show. I want that shot, and I don't care who I am going to have to hurt to make that point.

Cartwright: Like I was saying, Mr. Belote will be here very shortly, and he made it know that handling your situation will be at the very top of his priority list when he gets here. I assure you, Adam, this all will be dealt with very shortly. You just have to be pateint..

Davis: Patience is something I am running thin on right now.

Davis shakes his head in disgust before doing a 180 and slamming the door shut. The camera moves on Smith for his reaction, who just sort of smirks.

Cartwright: Well, it IS a virtue.

Sitting down in his chair with a legal pad of paper in his hand, Landon Savage looks at the mat sitting across from him, Jake Dominion, and then immediately starts in with the questions.

Landon Savage: First of all, what's this interview all about?

Jake Dominion: Wow Landon, I figured you'd kill to have an exclusive interview with The Diabolik's "enigma"? Anyway, since I'm apart of The Diabolik and all, I figured we could do some Q&A about Gryffin with you having a man-crush on him and all [he says that in a kidding way]. And since I've been suspended, it doesn't mean that I can't talk, it just means that I can't show up and shows and wrestle, etc.

Landon Savage: Okay, so my next question is this: When was the last time you talked to Gryffin?

Jake Dominion: Hmmm, that's a damned good question. Let's see... right before the Co-Op challenge, but not since then...

Landon Savage: When was the last time you talked to Crash?

Jake Dominion: That's easy, just the other day. We went out to dinner at some fancy-schmancy restaurant that he picked out, and then he gets upset that they don't have his favorite beer there, like what do you expect bro?

Landon Savage: So wait, you were hanging out with Crash just the other day?!

Looking a little confused by the question, Jake is quick to respond.

Jake Dominion: LEGACY can keep Jake Dominion out of the arenas, but they can't prevent him from chillin with his friends...

Landon Savage: Did you talk to him about things with Gryffin?

Jake Dominion: I can see why they pay you the big bucks bro. But yeah, that woulda been part of our conversation.

Landon Savage: So what's going on between Gryffin Anselm and The Diabolik?

Jake Dominion: To tell you the truth Landon, I have no idea. I'm not aware of any conspiracy to kick Gryffin out of the group, nor am I aware of any conspiracy to kick Crash out of the group...

Landon Savage: If either of those two things were to happen, which would you prefer?

Jake Dominion: Let's see.... NEITHER. Both Gryffin and Crash are incredible athletes that each bring something different to the table. I would obviously want both to stay...

Landon Savage: And how about Cronos Diamante? There has been talk of him possibly being a secret member of The Diabolik. Do you know anything about that?

The trademark smirk forms on Jake’s face immediately.

Jake Dominion: Cronos and his…

Jake uses air quotes.

Jake Dominion: …"Honor Above All" shtick doesn't seem to be the right "fit" for The Diabolik "brotherhood". But you know we have an honor all of our own, so if "the devil" Cronos were to be faking all of this "honor" stuff, then yeah, it could possibly be a good "fit", especially given Cronos' past. Strength in numbers is a big deal, and Cronos would fit in well with his experience and skills...

Landon Savage: I haven't heard anything about your possible return from suspension, have you?

The suspended Diabolik member just shakes his head.

Jake Dominion: Nah, I was hoping you'd have an answer for that since you're a big wig now and all. All I've heard is that they may possibly tie my suspension in with John Iley's injury in terms of money they spend to help him recover AND the amount of time he is out for. The neck's a funny injury, but be rest assured that once they make a decision, they will be hearing from my lawyers...

Landon Savage: What have you been doing in the meantime?

Jake Dominion: You know, just kickin' it. Seeing my Yankees tearin' it up in the Bronx. Some homerun derby in Ruth’s House. Catching some Knicks' summer league games in Vegas, boy they gotta do something soon. Went to the MLS All-Star game in Toronto and saw my boy Beckham almost hit that goal, he is still an incredible soccer player even playing with some "less talented" folks. Checked out my Super Bowl Champion Giants start training camp up in Albany, NY. Went to the NHL and NBA drafts. Ya know, keeping busy...

Landon Savage: It almost sounds like you're enjoying your time away from the ring.

Jake Dominion: Well I guess moreso than John Iley is, for sure. I'm looking forward to coming back whenever the time is right, and you can take this to the bank that you haven't seen the last of the Jake Dominion/X-Calibur showdown...

Landon Savage: It looked as though both you and X-Calibur had mixed feelings about fighting one another. Can you tell us more about that?

Jake Dominion: ... No Comment.

Silent for a moment, Jake just looks at Landon with a disappointed look on his face, then takes off the clip-on microphone he’s wearing, gets up and walks off.

ALAN DUCARD: Next up is something of a showcase match for the Tag Team division, as it takes one member from four of the teams on the roster and mixes them into two randomly paired teams.

JIMMY YATES: While I’d much rather see each of these teams compete with their regular partners, I do think this is an interesting way to better gauge the talents of these four individuals, seeing what they can do when they’re in a situation which might be a bit out of their comfort zone.

BRYAN HARRIS: Personally I would’ve liked to see Mirage involved in this thing somehow, but I guess that’s just not how it all shakes out.

ALAN DUCARD: Can’t get everyone on a show I suppose, but with that, let’s move along to the footage.

Start : Footage from the Match

As Arch Angel tries to send Jerry Starr across the ring, the Canuckin’ Cowboy shifts his feet and does a standing switch, reversing the move and he sends Arch Angel towards the far corner instead. Reaching over the ropes, Chris Turner tags himself into the ring. Running into the corner after his opponent, Jerry Starr hops up onto Arch Angel’s knees and then propels him backwards with a monkey flip. As Starr gets up off the mat, he moves in and stomps down onto Arch Angel’s chest, but he’s then Chris Turner grabs him from behind by the hair and yanks him backwards, slamming him down onto the mat. This immediately brings Steve O’Reily into the ring, and he drills Chris Turner with a forearm.

ALAN DUCARD: From the looks of things, I don’t believe Steve O’Reily saw the blind tag from Chris Turner, and he probably believes Turner is in there for an illegal double-team!

BRYAN HARRIS: Regardless of who the legal men are, Jerry Starr’s getting back to his feet, and he’s looking to capitalize!

Starr takes Chris by the wrist and says something to Steve O’Reily, and then the duo help lift Turner to his feet. They immediately send Chris into the ropes, and on the return from the irish whip they perform a double flapjack on Turner. Starr drops to his knees and goes for a pinfall, but the referee starts yelling at Steve O’Reily.

JIMMY YATES: VENOM just found out about the blind tag, and he now knows that he has to get out of the ring before a pinfall can be counted…

ALAN DUCARD: He’s out now, and here we go… One… No, that’s all they’re going to get from this one.

BRYAN HARRIS: Just like Diego and Hector have been saying all along, neither of the two cavemen from Domination is very smart at all, and it’s costing them in situations like this.

Jerry Starr picks up Turner and punches him in the face a couple times, but the steady-footed Turner counters with a kick to the gut. He looks over at Arch Angel, who is back on his feet on the apron. He reaches out his hand to see if Chris wants a tag out, but Turner just shakes his head. He turns back around to Starr and connects with a short-armed clothesline. Turner with a pinfall attempt, and Don Bower makes the count.

One.

Kickout at one.

ALAN DUCARD: Now it’s Jerry Starr who won’t stay down, and both teams now have had pinfall attempts which have been very easily contested by their opponent.

Turner picks up Starr and drags him to the turnbuckle, when all the sudden, Arch Angel tags himself in. Turner gives him a dirty look, but complies and steps to the apron.

BRYAN HARRIS: WOW, if looks could kill…

JIMMY YATES: Hey, what goes around comes around, right? Chris Turner blindly tagged himself in…

ALAN DUCARD: Well as Arch Angel gets into the ring, you can tell that he’s not considering how Turner is going to react to the blind tag, and now here he goes, rapid-fire kicks and punches on Jerry Starr there in the corner.

Starr tries to defend himself, but Arch Angel grabs Starrs arm and Irish whips him in the ropes and connects with a big boot to the face. Don Bower again hits the mat to go for the pin as this time it’s Arch Angel trying to win the match.

One…

Two…

ALAN DUCARD: Not going to happen as Steve O'Reily breaks up the pin with a kick to Arch Angels back.

Arch Angel gets up at stares at O'Reily as O'Reily does a beautiful standing drop kick on Arch Angel. Arch Angel staggers back a little bit as Starr slowly gets up and they double irish whip Arch Angel into the ropes and they connect with a verision of the 3-D. Now it’s Jerry Starr with the cover.

One.

Two.

Kickout by Arch Angel.

JIMMY YATES: Jerry Starr and Steve O’Reily not regular tag team partners, that assisted falling neckbreaker could’ve been a lot smoother, and had it been, we might be hearing the bell ring right about now.

Starr picks up Arch Angel as he carried him to the corner and tags in O'Reily. O'Reily gets up off the apron and the duo irish whips Arch Angel into the turnbuckle. Jerry Starr runs in first and connects with a knee to the gut, and he quickly spins to the side to avoid it as Steve O’Reily runs in and hits a running back elbow smash to the face. Arch Angel falls down on the mat as O'Reily picks up Arch Angel. As he tries to hit some kicks to the leg, Arch Angel avoids one of them as he steps back, and as he’s close enough to the corner, Chris Turner tags himself in.

ALAN DUCARD: Another blind tag by Chris Turner.

Entering the ring, Turner pushes Arch Angel out of the way and starts to wail away on O'Reily. Arch Angel glares at Turner, but then steps out onto the apron and watches the action. Turner continues to wail on O'Reilly as O'Reily defends himself with his hands up to his face. As soon as he sees an opening, he pushes Turner back and connects with a quick snap suplex. O'Reily then hits a spinning leg drop and makes a pin on Turner.

One.

Two.

Thr- Kickout by Turner!

JIMMY YATES: Nearfall!

BRYAN HARRIS: Unless you think that was a slow count by Don Bower, I’d say you’re a fool to think that’s all it’s going to take to keep Chris Turner down!

O'Reily looks at the referee with a look of disbelief on his face, but Don Bower simply holds up two fingers. Steve turns around and picks up Turner, but gets a thumb to the eye for his efforts. O'Reily holds his eye as Turner staggers to his feet and hits a wicked Spike DDT on O'Reily. Both men are on the mat as they struggle to get to their corners to tag in their partners. O'Reily reaches over and tags in Jerry Starr and Turner reluctantly tags in Arch Angel after lying in front of him for a couple of seconds. Arch Angel and Starr fly in the ring and Arch Angel connects with a couple of clotheslines. Arch Angel has this look in his eyes as he picks up Jerry Starr and holds him over his head, hitting a THUNDEROUS powerbomb on Starr. Arch Angel with a cover.

One.

Two.

Thre--- O'Reily breaks up the attempt.

JIMMY YATES: Now THAT was a CLOSE one!

Arch Angel gets angry and stands up, glaring at O'Reily. O'Reily climbs out of the ring, holding his hands up as he slowly climbs back on the apron. Arch Angel turns around and gets a stiff forearm to his face by Jerry Starr. Arch Angel staggers back a little bit Starr starts throwing forearms and irish whipping Arch Angel to the ropes. Before he gets to Starr, he stops as Starr is bent down to throw him over his back and Arch Angel hits a massive fist on the neck of Starr. Starr falls to the mat as from behind, O'Reily comes and charges across the ring and knocks Turner off the apron. Arch Angel has had enough as he picks up Starr, doubles him over, hooks underneath his arms in a butterfly position and then slams him face first down onto the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: Weight of the Halo executed by Arch Angel, and here’s the pinfall…

One.

Two.

Three.

Josephina Colbert: Here are your winners by pinfall... the team of Chris Turner and Arch Angel!!

JIMMY YATES: Well you can rack up a little more momentum for Unholy Alliance and ANARCHY going into the pay per view, but it's not like either of those two guys tried to work together in this match.

BRYAN HARRIS: What did you expect, the birth of a new team or something?

We return to a view of the ring, in the middle of which stands Josephina Colbert. Before she speaks, more than a few guys from the live crowd either whistle at her or yell things like “I Love You Jo!” or various calls to see more of her anatomy. Being the professional she is, she shows a smile and then gets on with her job at hand.

Josephina Colbert: I am here to announce that tonight marks the return of one of the longest tenured members of this roster… here he is, “The Ladies Man”… Tim! JONES!!!

The cheers start coming even before Three Six Mafia’s “It’s Getting Hard Out Here For A Pimp” starts in over the speakers. Tim Jones’ Budweiser-style logo appears on the LEGACY Vision Jumbotron as the man himself walks out through the curtain. He slaps a few hands as he walks down the isle, but his focus is on the ring. The cheers are raining down on Tim as he steps into the ring, walks across and asks for a microphone. He smiles as he looks around the arena and raises the microphone up…the crowd slowly begins to settle down…Tim looks around again...

Tim Jones: “Is that all you have in you? I been gone for ever and a day and all you have is a minute worth of cheers?”

The crowd erupts again in cheers for Tim Jones as he stands and smiles look to be full of joy standing in the Legacy ring again.

Tim Jones: “You know everyone, it’s been a long…hard…road back, but then…it is hard out here for a pimp! I have had my fair share of set backs over the last few months, but were not going to get into the depressing times right now. Right now its time for Tim Jones to show the state or Oregon...To show the collective United States of America…and to show the world, that he is back and ready to fight!

Tim takes a long look around at the fans, still just seeming absorbing all of the emotion that seems to be nearly overwhelming him.

Tim Jones: “So no more talking…its time for an open challenge. Anyone who wants to take on the Ladies Man is more than welcome, just grab your gear and come on down to this right now and let’s give these great fans a show!”

Tim tosses the microphone out to the ring announcer and looks down at the entrance to the arena...

Glimmer of Hope Pre-Show

Zooming down the corridor, the camera picks up Cronos Diamante, who is currently picking up a sandwich from the catering table. Zooming back out, we see Gryffin and the other three approach, standing and waiting for Cronos to turn around.

Cronos Diamante: The sixty-four thousand dollar question here Gryffin is why are “you” here?

Anselm raises his eyebrows, a little surprised.

Gryffin Anselm: What, you can't guess why we're here? Isn't it obvious? We're recruiting more members for the team.

Cronos chuckles.

Cronos Diamante: Recruiting, huh?

Gryffin Anselm: By the way, anybody on your team savvy to the fact that you've got a Diabolik shirt hanging in the back of your closet? Hey, if you want to pretend like you're not a part of "The D" and keep this whole charade going, then that's fine. Just do me a favor... even if you don't want to make it seem too obvious, make sure that Devastation doesn't make it into the top five in the Co-Op, alright? Consider that your mission...

Glimmer of Hope: Co-Op Challenge

With a huge clubbing blow to the back of the neck, Devastation drops Gryffin Anselm down to the mat. Hooking his arm underneath Gryffin’s shoulder, Devastation takes Anselm down to the mat with a hiptoss, and Devastation immediately swings his body around to trap Gryffin’s arm in between his legs, then pulls back on Devastation’s neck with both arms.

ALAN DUCARD: Devastation with a crossface submission on Anselm… and he taps out!!

Josephina Colbert: As a result of a submission to Devastation, Gryffin Anselm has been eliminated!!

Having rolled out onto the apron, Gryffin Anselm slowly gets to his feet, obviously feeling a bit dejected about having to tap out.

Voice Over: He didn’t look back.

Later on in Co-Op Challenge

As Cronos approaches to go after Crash, he brushes past X-Calibur, and that’s all it takes. X-Calibur grabs Cronos by the arm, spins him around and starts laying into him with hard right hands. Taking Cronos by the head, X-Calibur takes a couple steps out of the corner and takes Cronos down with a wicked X-Terminator.

JIMMY YATES: X-Calibur hooks the leg… this is going to be it for Cronos Diamante!

There’s a moderate response from the crowd who are unsure whether or not to be happy the elimination.

Josephina Colbert: As a result of a pinfall by X-Calibur, Cronos Diamante has been eliminated and by rule, so has Devastation!!

Voice Over: Cronos Diamante’s loss in record time - Did he lay down to eliminate Devastation?

World of Wrestling Report - Post Glimmer of Hope

From what I've heard, no one in the Diabolik has seen Gryffin Anselm since he packed up his dufflebag and left the arena at GLIMMER OF HOPE. Is it possible that tapping out to his former rival Devastation is going to be Gryffin's last act inside a LEGACY ring? I do know for a fact that he has received at least one offer to work for a different promotion, but I'd be real surprised if he left LEGACY. Despite a popular rumor going around, Gryffin Anselm isn't angry that Crash is the one holding the World Championship instead of him. I asked him about that when I saw him at the pre-show two days prior to GLIMMER OF HOPE, and he said the following:

"If I'm in the final two of the Co-Op Challenge and the other guy in there isn't Crash or Jake Dominion, I'll do whatever it takes to win that belt. Otherwise, I'm happy being one-half of the BEST tag team in the business today."

Voice Over: Is he really? The tension between Crash and Gryffin have been at an all-time high.

Strife 37

Crash: At the SuperCard, we pick my opponent. And we've given this alot of thought as to who it should be. This douche bag has been a bigger pain in the ass to us, than either of you. His name is...

The crowd gets silent with anticipation, wondering who it could be.

Crash: …Cronos Diamante.

The crowd pops.

Smith Cartwright: The front office decided that Crash deserves to be able to pick his opponent for the SuperCard… and maybe we finally get to find out whether he’s a member of The Diabolik or not.

Voice Over: Cronos wasn’t even in contention. Did Crash expect him to lay down?

Excerpt from a Crash promo leading up to his World Championship defense - A Ritual Beating.

Big Lou: Make a statement.

Crash: What?

Big Lou: Make a statement of Cronos Diamante. Show him and everyone else that no one messes with us, no matter what condition we're in.

Voice Over: What kind of condition? Broken?

Excerpt from Cronos Diamante’s promo leading up to his World Championship shot - There Will Be Blood.

Voodoo: I thought we agreed to train tomorrow.

Cronos kicked off his shoes and stood up.

Cronos Diamante: We didn’t agree on anything. You all but demanded it.

Cronos walked into the mini-bar and fetched himself a bottle of water then walked over to the place he was sitting and plopped back down.

Cronos Diamante: I decided to train with someone else.

Voice Over: Deception.

Voodoo: As if you're going much better. Sneaking off, doing god knows what. Ducking every question as tho you were ducking punches. You're hiding something, and you're loosing ground by the second Birdie-boy. I know what you're capable of, from the highs to the lows. Right know, you're acting as suspicious as I've ever seen you. And honestly, I'm getting tired of the bullsh!t.

Cronos stood up and did a funny little “scary, spooky” dance over to the mini-bar to grab another bottle of water. He came back with three and stacked them on the end table behind him.

Cronos Diamante: I’m as suspicious as ever! Oooooo! I’m hiding something! Oooooo!

Voice Over: Suspicion.

SuperCard - Cronos Diamante vs. Crash for the Legacy World Championship

Suddenly there’s a commotion in the crowd and the view switches to a nearby camera, which shows Gryffin Anselm, dressed in a pair of black cargo pants and a white tanktop, hop the guardrail. Sliding into the ring, Anselm gets to his feet before Cronos even knows he’s there. Referee Ross Quatro spots Gryffin entering the ring, and he is quick to turn his head. With Diamante’s attention on Crash who is getting back up onto the apron, he doesn’t know Gryffin is there until he’s struck from behind with a hard double axehandle smash. As the boos pour in, Anselm hoists Cronos up onto his shoulders into a fireman’s carry position, then whips him over and down to the mat with a Michinoku Driver!

JIMMY YATES: Devastator by Gryffin Anselm, and Ross Quatro isn’t doing a damn thing about it!!

With a very confused look on his face, Crash reenters the ring, watching as Gryffin kicks Cronos in the face. As Crash approaches Anselm, Gryffin turns his attention on the World Champion and shoves him back a step. Still confused as to what’s going on, Crash watches as Gryffin walks over and takes a wad of cash out of his pocket, handing it to Ross Quatro before heading out onto the apron.

ALAN DUCARD: Did Gryffin Anselm… did he just PAY OFF a referee?!

JIMMY YATES: You’re damn right that’s what he did!!

Still looking surprised, Crash lifts Cronos up off the mat, hoists him up into the air, spins around and hits the Aero Zeppelin Driver tombstone.

Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner as a result of a pinfall and STILL World Champion…. Crrrrrash!!!

ALAN DUCARD: I would say that what we just saw should end all talk about Cronos being a part of The Diabolik, but to be honest, with the look on Crash’s face… I’m not sure what’s going on…

JIMMY YATES: And neither does Crash, for that matter!

His hand raised in victory, Crash takes the belt from Ross Quatro and puts it on his shoulder. The confused look still on his face, Crash walks over to the ropes and looks up the entrance ramp and watches Gryffin Anselm as he heads back through the curtain.

ALAN DUCARD: Is it maybe a little strange that Gryffin Anselm isn’t sticking around to celebrate the victory? Do you suppose that maybe Gryffin Anselm is no longer with The Diabolik…?

BRYAN HARRIS: I find it very hard to believe that the Diabolik would get rid of Gryffin Anselm.

Voice Over: A pay off. Confusion. Dissension. Gryffin Anselm replaced by Cronos Diamante? Cronos Diamante a member of Diabolik? Gryffin Anselm careless of Crash’s presence in the ring.

Excerpt from Gryffin Anselm’s promo vs. X-Calibur - Shades of Gray

Gryffin Anselm: My whereabouts... my reasons... they're not important.

Why all the interest in me all of a sudden? Why have people suddenly decided they want to know what's going on with me?

I'm not the World's Champion.

I'm not the guy who walked out of the Co-Op Challenge with the belt.

I'm not the leader of The Diabolik.

I'm just a tag team competitor, remember?

Voice Over: Who IS the leader of The Diabolik? You showed you weren’t training with Cronos Diamante for his match with Crash like many believed in your absence.

Strife 39 - Gryffin Anselm vs. X-Calibur

ALAN DUCARD: X-Calibur is fighting this one off again, and again he drops down and there’s a stiff right hand! X-TERMIN-NO! Gryffin pushes him off next to the ropes, and now Anselm with the assist to sending X over the top rope to the outside. X-Calibur tries to collect himself in the No Man’s Land outside the ring, but suddenly, a chorus of boos goes up from the crowd as none other than the LEGACY World Heavyweight Champion begins making his way to ringside.

JIMMY YATES: What’s he doing out here?

BRYAN HARRIS: He’s probably out here to get a scouting update on the number one contender.

JIMMY YATES: Highly unlikely, but … here comes Cronos too!

Diamante rushes down the rampway behind Crash, and with a shot takes him down to the ground. Gryffin looks at what just happened with a good bit of confusion etched on his face. Cronos heads for the ring now, and steps inside.

ALAN DUCARD: We’ve got quite the cast of characters here now at ringside with the champion and the number one contender down outside the ring, and Cronos and Gryffin inside the ring. Cronos now up in Anselm’s face jawing at him, and he’s shoved Gryffin back into the buckles. Gryffin now shoves him back and this one has exploded. Cronos and Gryffin Anselm are just beating the hell out of each other.

El Chupacabra head out to ringside. Diego springs from the outside apron to the top rope and dives into the ring with a dropkick on to Cronos knocking him off of Gryffin.

ALAN DUCARD: Crash is up at ringside and he’s coming for X-Calibur who is now once again trying to get back into the ring.

JIMMY YATES: The Diabolik has effectively dealt with Cronos and X-Calibur here tonight, but I’m not sure how much of this is planned and how much is coincidence. Crash isn’t interacting with Anselm at all, it’s almost as if Gryffin doesn’t exist out here, and Anselm seems rather content with the job that he and El Chupacabra did on Cronos.

The parting shot of the evening sees Gryffin Anselm along with El Chupacabra standing above Cronos Diamante inside the ring, the referee on the outside near the time keeper's table, and Crash near the ramp, smirking as he looks down on X-Calibur.

Voice Over: Still The Diabolik are separated and not on the same page.

Excerpt from Gryffin Anselm’s promo - Going Forward

Gryffin Anselm: You want to see fireworks in one of the corners at STRIFE 40, you can look to Cronos Diamante and X-Calibur for that, because Cronos cheated X-Calibur out of a match which could've given him more momentum going into the pay per view.

It wasn't my fault that match ended in a clusterf*ck.

It's all on Diamante's shoulders.

Excerpt from Cronos Diamante’s promo - An old college and a cemetery

Cronos Diamante: But you’re right, Gryffin… it is on my shoulders. I won’t disappoint The D. You can count on me, friend.

Fade to black.

ALAN DUCARD: Our next bout was a Tao of Valor championship match that saw the Diabolik trying to add another jewel to their ranks.

BRYAN HARRIS: Last time Moreno had this title he lost it immediately. He can find that extra gear to WIN a title, but can he find the gear to RETAIN? This expert says, "doubt it".

JIMMY YATES: In the early going of this match, these two men were keeping things fast paced and high flying. James Win was looking to get some singles gold and add that to the longest tag reign he and Gryffin had, and Justin Moreno was trying to add his first ever successful title defense.

ALAN DUCARD: Could Win... WIN more gold for the Diabolik? Can Moreno show he has what it takes to retain? Lets take a look!

Start : Footage from the Match

Win runs to the ropes and leaps to the middle rope and launches himself back wards spinning, into a beautiful high cross body that takes Justin down hard! He hooks the far leg.

One...

two...

th-NO!

ALAN DUCARD: Another near fall in this match which has already seen numerous pin chances from both competitors, and action that has me struggling to catch my breath.

BRYAN HARRIS: You're gassed over calling a match? Man are you in awful awful shape, or what?

JIMMY YATES: Both of these men came to win tonight. Its going to be a matter of execution. They both have high speed, high impact, and high risk offense. The guy who can connect without making "the big mistake" should win this one.

Win gets up and pulls Moreno up to a seated position and nails a kick driving his shin across J-Mo's chest. He then bounces off the ropes behind Moreno and nails a low drop kick to the back of Justin's head that snaps his head forward, awkwardly. Win leaps up throwing his arms out cockily. The crowd boos in response.

Win gets up some speed and bounces off the ropes in front of the seated, and dazed Moreno and dives low looking for a low cross body, crashing hard into Moreno, sending him back to the mat violently. Win scrambles to make a cover.

One...

two...

No! Moreno shoulders out. The crowd starts a "Mo-Re-NO" chant trying to urge Justin on.

ALAN DUCARD: The attendees are trying to rally the Tao of Valor champion.

BRYAN HARRIS: A waste of breath if you ask me...

Win slaps mat in frustration. He gets up, and drags Moreno with him. He scoops him up for a body slam, and as he goes to plant Moreno into the mat, Justin shifts and gets his legs around the back of Win's neck and spins him down with a head scissors. The crowd roars, as Moreno gets up quickly feeding off the adrenaline. Moreno runs and drops both legs across Win's torso. He grabs Win drags him up hooks him and nails a beautiful Northern Lights suplex... he bridges.

One...

Two....

Thre-NO!! Win gets out.

ALAN DUCARD: I was sure Moreno had it there.

JIMMY YATES: Shades of John Iley, and let me take the time to say, get well Iley!

BRYAN HARRIS: You're such a suck up.

Moreno back on the offensive. He drags Win up, whips him of the rope, and nails a nice standing drop kick. He's back up lays a couple quick boots to Win and nails a standing moonsault. He stays on top for the cover.

One...

Two...

Th-NO. Win shoulders out. Moreno jumps up and runs to the corner jumping to the top rope. He leaps off the top rope looking for a huge swanton, but Win rolls out of the way, crashing to the mat.

BRYAN HARRIS: Nobody HOME!

Both men down. Win stirs first. He gets to his feet and as Moreno gets up he runs and leaps over Justin with a sunset flip. Win stays hooked...

One...

Two...

Th-NO!

ALAN DUCARD: That was CLOSE!

Win back up and as soon as Justin get up Win rocks him with a right hand. He whips Moreno off the ropes. Leapfrogs him. Turns and when Moreno bounces off the ropes nails a huge spinning heel kick. He gets back up and drops an elbow across Moreno's chest. He goes to drag Moreno up, but Justin drives a diving headbutt into James's sternum. Moreno then rocks Win with a European uppercut. He whips Win into the corner and follows up with a huge splash.

Justin backs and drives a shoulder into the ribcage. He follows up with two more, and the referee continues his count, and goes to step in and when he does Win takes the opportunity to drive his thumb into Moreno's eye. This stuns Moreno and the crowd roars their disapproval. WIn then grabs Moreno by the waist band of his trunks and pulls him down into the midlde turnbuckle. While Moreno is leaning chest first on the middle turnbuckle, Win drops knees into the champs lower back. He then jumps up pushing himself off the top rope driving both knees down that forces Moreno down the mat violently.

JIMMY YATES: Dirty, underhanded tactics...

BRYAN HARRIS: Its called effective. You do what it takes to WIN. Hell, is his NAME!

Win drags Moreno to the middle of the ring. He then points to the middle rope, and takes off. Win runs and jumps to the middle rope and jumps back with is asai moonault (lionsault).

ALAN DUCARD: Win looking for his "Shooting Star".

Moreno summons all his strength and rolls out of the way. Win crashes to the mat. The Crowd roars and...

ALAN DUCARD: Justin Moreno is is still IN this thing!

Moreno struggles to his feet, as does James. Justin buries a boot, doubling over Win and bounces off the ropes and hits a gorgeous running knee lift that rocks Win. He picks Win up off the mat, and hits a snap suplex. He floats over and hooks a leg.

One...

Two...

th-NO!

Moreno brings Win to his feet, and goes to whip him off the ropes. Win reverses it sending Moreno off the ropes. Win ends up leap frogging Moreno, and Justin stops short and as soon as he hears Win land he leaps back with a bicycle kick that nails Win in the back of the head.

ALAN DUCARD: What a move. Win might be out cold!

Moreno quickly gets to the corner and jumps to the top rope and launches with his 450 splash.

JIMMY YATES: EXTREME MEASURES!

ALAN DUCARD: He got all of it. This could be IT!

One...

Two...

THREE!!!

Exhausted, Moreno rolls off of Win as the bell rings and we hear Josephina Colbert's voice.

Josephina Colbert: The winner of the match, and STILL your Tao of Valor Champion. Justin... MORENO!!!!!

ALAN DUCARD: A fiercely contested battle for the Tao of Valor, tonight. They gave it their all, but in the end Justin Moreno comes out with a big victory moving forward.

BRYAN HARRIS: All these fans out here who are cheering because Justin Moreno retained the Tao of Valor Title? Clueless. Do you think they know what kind of champion James Win could be? No, they don't. I wish they did, but they don't. If they knew, they wouldn't be happy right now, they'd be feeling the same thing that I am.

JIMMY YATES: What, constipated? Because you sound constipated...

The broadcast footage fades to black and is then replaced with an advertisement.

After a few moments, the advertisement fades and we head backstage.

Near the gorilla position, Smith Cartwright looks over his clipboard and checks a few things off with a pen. Head referee Klinton Porter walks up from down the hallway and approaches the front office representative, a concerned look on his face.

Klinton Porter: Smith, I really need to talk to you man.

Cartwright looks up.

Smith Cartwright: What’s on your mind, Klinton?

Klinton Porter: STRIFE 39 and the match I supposedly refereed between Derek Shane and Pat Reynolds.

Smith Cartwright: Yeah, you had some people talking… and I was meaning to set up a meeting with you to talk about that.

Klinton Porter: That’s just it, Smith. That wasn’t me out there. LITERALLY. It wasn’t me. I don’t know who it was, but no one told me I was refereeing that match, and so I was running a little late to the show.

Smith thinks for a second, then nods.

Smith Cartwright: I understand, Klinton, and I think Rob Belote does too. In fact, I think it’s all a part of another problem we’re having.

Smith pats Klinton on the shoulder and a smile forms on his face.

Smith Cartwright: Don’t give it another thought.

Klinton returns the warm smile, then walks off to go do his job.

(The scene is back inside of Justin Moreno's locker-room following his successful Tao of Valor title defense against James Win. We see J-Mo wearing his current LEGACY Merchandise T-Shirt with the sleeves cut off plus his baggy black pleather shorts that come down just past his knees with the famous green "M" Monster Energy Drink logo and "Moreno" written below the "M" in the white Monster Energy Drink font on both pant legs. J-Mo already has his kick-pads and shoes off when he hears a knock at the door and we see Landon Savage come in with his eyes covered as he begins to speak.)

Landon Savage: You're, umm, not naked... are you?

Justin Moreno: Nah dude, I'm good.

Landon Savage: Well, Mr. Belote just called me and said he was gonna be here before the night's over. He told me to tell you not to shower just yet. He doesn't want you to miss what he has to say when he calls the entire roster to the ring.

Justin Moreno: Sounds good, brah. I'll catch ya later!

Landon Savage: Yeah, see ya, J-Mo.

(With that, Landon Savage walks away and Moreno continues to get himself back into his street clothes.)

JIMMY YATES: And now it comes time for our second main event of the evening, a six-man tag match which proves to be very explosive.

ALAN DUCARD: The World Champion on one side of the ring, the Number One Contender on the other, that makes for some combustible elements in there, and that’s not even mentioning the fact that Cronos Diamante and Gryffin Anselm are on opposite sides, which not only brings up the heat brewing between the two of them, but also brings up the fact that even now, I don’t think more than a handful of people understand what’s going on with the Diabolik right now… and none of those people are saying anything that helps make the situation any clearer.

BRYAN HARRIS: All the guys in this match are world class athletes, so with or without confusion surrounding their allegiances, this one was going to be good, and since we’re running out of time, let’s get down to the match.

Start : Footage from the Match

As soon as Gryffin Anselm gets the tag in from Diego, he rushes into the ring and catches Katsuro Yoshida just as he gets back to his feet, dropping him right back down with a clothesline. Spinning his legs around, Katsuro gets his legs under himself and gets right back to his feet.

JIMMY YATES: Katsuro Yoshida just so fast and agile, it’s hard to keep him down!

Spotting his opponent back up, Gryffin runs over and attempts a forearm smash, but Katsuro drops to a knee and then thrusts his leg backwards and kicks Anselm in the gut. Returning to a vertical base, Katsuro backs up a step to avoid further onslaught by Gryffin, but Anselm isn’t suffering to much from the kick, and he moves back in, absorbs a knife-edge chop and then drills Katsuro with a hard right hand, rocking him backwards. Grabbing Katsuro around the upper portion of his torso, Gryffin spins around and tosses Yoshida backwards.

BRYAN HARRIS: Nice show of strength there by Gryffin Anselm!

ALAN DUCARD: We also get another show of agility by Bushido Buntai founder Katsuro Yoshida as he hits the mat, rolling backwards towards his corner and getting his feet underneath himself.

JIMMY YATES: He consequently puts himself in great position to make the tag in to one of his opponents… and here comes X-Calibur!

ALAN DUCARD: And we appear to be getting the chance to see a continuance of the main event from STRIFE 39.

BRYAN HARRIS: Yeah, if Cronos can keep his nose out of it!

Noticing the change in legal men as the tag is made, Gryffin Anselm stands and watches as X-Calibur enters the ring, not making any sudden moves in his direction.

ALAN DUCARD: A show of sportsmanship thereby Gryffin Anselm, and you have to wonder if it’s sincere, or just more deception to make people wonder where his head’s at.

The two men circle for a moment and then lock up in the middle of the ring. Gryffin immediately gets the upperhand, using his strength advantage to shove X-Calibur backwards. Rolling over backwards, X-Calibur puts his foot down and then immediately springs forwards, tackling Gryffin by the legs and taking him down to the mat. Sliding up to his upperbody, X-Calibur starts in on Anselm with punches to the face, and the fans begin cheering with excitement. Before Klinton Porter can admonish X-Calibur for the closed fists, Gryffin blocks a punch and then shoves X-Calibur backwards.

BRYAN HARRIS: Easily one of the strongest guys in LEGACY, Gryffin puts his muscles on display!

ALAN DUCARD: That doesn’t appear to be deterring X-Calibur any!!

Back on his feet, X-Calibur moves in and throws a right hand which connects to the side of Gryffin’s face, then another one. Anselm retaliates with a right hand of his own, rocking X-Calibur backwards. Taking X-Calibur by the wrist, Gryffin sends him into the ropes, but on the return X-Calibur leaps into the air and takes Gryffin down with a flying clothesline, getting another big ovation from the fans.

JIMMY YATES: What an absolute WARRIOR!!

BRYAN HARRIS: As long as he doesn’t start shaking the top rope like a maniac, we’re okay.

X-Calibur moves in and tries to get to Gryffin before he can get up off the mat, but Gryffin shoves him back a step and then drives a right hand into X-Calibur’s gut, backing him up a step but not doubling him over. As Anselm gets to his feet, he backs up a step to get into a better positioning, but Diego de Cardenas reaches over the top rope and tags himself in.

ALAN DUCARD: This might be the end of the STRIFE 39 main event continuance for now.

JIMMY YATES: Look at how EAGER Diego looks to mix it up with X-Calibur!

BRYAN HARRIS: Diego’s no slouch, Jimbo. Master of No Limits, Tag Team Champion of the World. Every time he’s put his mind to something, he’s eventually achieved it, so it should come as no surprise that he wants to prove himself against the Number One Contender to the World Title.

After slapping his own chest a couple times and yelling something at X-Calibur in Spanish, Diego puts his hands on the top rope and he flings himself into the ring. The moment Diego’s feet hit the mat inside the ring, X-Calibur springs to action, rushing in, hopping up off the mat and drilling Diego in the forehead with a hard right hand.

JIMMY YATES: I guess X-Calibur knows how to speak Spanish.

ALAN DUCARD: I’d guess he knows at least a couple words.

Taking Diego by the ear, X-Calibur starts to hoist him up off the mat, then he drives a forearm down into Diego’s back. Taking Diego by the wrist, X-Calibur lifts him up to his feet and sends him across the ring into a neutral corner, where Diego hits chest first. The fans cheer in excitement as Diego falls backwards and lands on his back.

JIMMY YATES: Talk all you want about Gryffin Anselm’s strength, we just saw a bit of X-Calibur’s strength right there. He might not be the strongest guy, or the fastest, or the most agile, but X-Calibur might very well be the most well-rounded guy on the roster.

ALAN DUCARD: He’s a very intense competitor that’s for certain, and that’s why he’s not letting Diego have a chance to get up on his own.

As Diego de Cardenas tries to get to his feet, X-Calibur grabs him by the arm and tries for a short-arm clothesline, but Diego ducks underneath it. Twisting around, Diego connects with a hard right hand to X’s face, rocking him back a step. Quickly rebounding, X-Calibur sends a knee into Diego’s gut, doubling him over. Taking Diego by the arm, X irish whips Cardenas into the ropes, but Diego hops up onto the top rope and springs backwards, sending his legs around X-Calibur’s neck. Spinning around, Diego tries for a head-scissors takedown.

JIMMY YATES: X-Calibur trying to block the head-scissors…

BRYAN HARRIS: Diego’s got a block for the block!!

Reaching back, Diego grabs the top rope, keeping X-Calibur from powerbombing him to the mat. Repositioning his legs, Cardenas turns the opportunity into a chokehold. Reaching down, Diego takes the second rope, then reaches down and grabs the first rope, and twisting to the side with his legs, Cardenas pulls X-Calibur down to the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: Almost a triangle choke there by Diego de Cardenas, and I think the real power of that move might’ve been the shock factor. X-Calibur didn’t see it coming, heck, I don’t think ANYONE saw it coming!

BRYAN HARRIS: What am I telling you? Diego is a great competitor!

Trying to pry Diego’s legs off of him, X-Calibur’s face starts turning red as it fills with blood, and so he reaches out and grabs the ropes. Klinton Porter quickly gets involved and yells at Diego to release the hold. When Cardenas ignores him, Porter starts his count.

One! Two! Three! Four!!

JIMMY YATES: Diego smartly letting go and not getting himself disqualified, and I don’t think anyone wants to see this match end that way.

ALAN DUCARD: Absolutely not. This has the makings of a great match, and no one wants to see it cut short.

Diego is the first of the two to their feet, and he sends a kick into the ribs of X-Calibur, who gets his knee underneath himself to keep from falling back down onto the mat. With rapid-fire axhandle smashes, Diego tries his best to keep X-Calibur on the mat. Shoving Diego back with his forearms, X-Calibur buys himself a little room, then pushes Cardenas into the corner with a shoulder thrust. Before Diego can get out of the corner, though, X-Calibur grabs Diego around the waist, lifts up, spins around and drives him into the mat with a spinebuster.

JIMMY YATES: Oh my GOD! I could feel that impact from here!! Great momentum changing move there by X-Calibur!

BRYAN HARRIS: Yeah, but that leg choke thing Diego used a couple minutes ago wore X-Calibur out!

ALAN DUCARD: You might be right, but that might not work out for Diego, because Cronos Diamante is begging to be tagged into the match, and X-Calibur’s about to give him his wish.

Moving over to his corner, X-Calibur tags in Cronos, who looks very pleased to be getting his chance against Diego. As Diamante moves across the ring, Diego struggles to try to get up to avoid getting attacked. Cronos swiftly drills him in the side with a kick to the shoulder, then spins around and sends another kick into Cardenas, this one connecting with the back, sending Diego to the mat.

JIMMY YATES: Lots of pent-up frustration for Cronos to take out on Diego that he should’ve had the opportunity to expel MONTHS ago.

ALAN DUCARD: These two guys have plenty of history with one another, that’s for sure.

BRYAN HARRIS: Cronos Diamante is LUCKY that Diego didn’t give him a second rematch, because Cronos would’ve gotten BEAT for a THIRD time!

Another kick from Cronos connects with the ribs, knocking Diego over onto his back, and then Diamante fires downwards with a kick to the sternum. Positioning himself better, Cronos stomps down onto Diego, but Cardenas holds on to the ankle and then twists around, swinging his feet up and taking Cronos down with a trip. Maintaining the hold on Cronos’ ankle, Diego twists around and attempts to lock in a single-leg crab, but Cronos shoves him off with a flick of his legs.

Twisting around as he rolls forward, Diego easily gets his legs underneath of himself, and as Cronos starts to get up, Cardenas propels himself forward with a dropkick to the face. The move stuns Cronos long enough for Diego to get to his feet, and he turns around and tags Gryffin Anselm back into the match.

ALAN DUCARD: Looks like we’re not going to get much more of this rivalry renewed, but we’ll get to see another chapter in the feud between Cronos and Gryffin, which I fully expect to see happen at the upcoming pay per view.

BRYAN HARRIS: Diego’s not COMPLETELY done with Cronos…

Instead of leaving the ring, Diego turns around, dives forward and drills a shot to the back of Cronos’ head, flattening him back down to the mat. Klinton Porter doesn’t like the move, and he moves in and starts yelling at Diego to leave the ring.

JIMMY YATES: I hate it when guys do stuff like that! He could’ve hit Cronos like that before making the tag, but NO, he does it after he tags out!

Passing Diego as he enters the ring, Anselm smirks, then moves over towards Cronos and punches him in the middle of the back. Taking him by the wrist, Gryffin picks him up and sends Diamante into the ropes with a irish whip, and on the return Anselm connects with a rising knee lift, dropping Cronos back down to the mat. Leaning down, Gryffin gets into Cronos’ face.

Gryffin Anselm: You want my spot?! YOU TRYING TO TAKE MY SPOT?!

Backing up a step, Gryffin gives Cronos some space.

ALAN DUCARD: Did I hear him right?

JIMMY YATES: I think you did… and the story keeps unfolding…

As Cronos starts getting up, Anselm dives in and connects with clubbing blows to the back, dropping him back down onto his chest. Grabbing Cronos by the head, Anselm once again brings him up to his feet, this time hooking him into a front facelock. After taking him by the waistband of his pants, Gryffin lifts Diamante high above his head into a stalling vertical suplex position.

BRYAN HARRIS: We all know what’s coming here!!

Before Gryffin can complete the Eliminator Jackhammer, Cronos sends his right knee slamming into Gryffin’s forehead. When the first isn’t sufficient, he rapidly hits it two more times, and then Gryffin loses his balance. Swinging around, Cronos is able to land on his feet. He stumbles for a second, then he spins around and sends a roundhouse kick to the gut of Gryffin Anselm, then connects with a hard knife-edge chop that sends Anselm over backwards onto the mat. Instinctively, Gryffin scurries to his feet and backs up into his own corner, reaching out and tagging the closest person…. Crash.

ALAN DUCARD: You have to wonder whether Gryffin actually meant to tag in the World Champion, or if this is a case of Any Port in a Storm.

BRYAN HARRIS: Does it really matter, Al? We’re about to see the TOP GUY in LEGACY in his final match before a HUGE title defense, and you’re really concerned over whether Gryffin meant to tag him in?!

JIMMY YATES: When it’s one of the more talked about things going on in LEGACY right now, YEAH, we’re gonna talk about it, that a problem?!

BRYAN HARRIS: No, go ahead, waste your time.

Entering the ring, Crash looks at Cronos and walks around a bit, waiting for Cronos to return to his feet. When Cronos locks eyes with him, he calmly stands up and stretches his arms and legs a little bit, loosening up, but not taking his eyes off of Crash. As the anticipation level grows amongst the live audience, the two move to the center of the ring, then lock up in a collar-and-elbow. Crash easily backs Cronos up towards the far corner, being the much fresher of the two. When they get a couple feet away, Crash shoves him backwards, though the impact on Diamante’s back isn’t significant. Crash then backs up towards the middle of the ring and waits for Cronos to follow him.

JIMMY YATES: If this isn’t proof that Cronos is part of the Diabolik, I don’t know what is!

ALAN DUCARD: I don’t know, Jimmy, this might very well be a feeling out process that you used to see, whereby two opponents who know each other extremely well will do this sort of thing to judge where the other’s deficits are, and I would say that Cronos Diamante and Crash know each other very well indeed.

Diamante moves towards the middle of the ring, and Crash again tries to lock up, but this time Cronos ducks and bobs up behind him, locking him around the abdomen. Cronos looks for a belly-to-back suplex attempt, but Crash uses his leg to block it, then swings around with an elbow which catches Cronos in the side of the face, loosening the grip. Twisting to the side, Crash reaches down and grabs Cronos by the leg and lifts him up over his shoulder into a fireman’s carry and throws him down to the mat. Standing right up, Crash twists and drops an elbow into the middle of Cronos’ chest. Returning to his feet immediately, Crash goes for a second straight standing elbow drop, but Cronos rolls out of the way and then gets up to one knee into a defensive stance.

JIMMY YATES: I don’t get it, first it doesn’t look like they’re fighting, which makes me think Cronos is in the Diabolik, and now look at them!

ALAN DUCARD: Don’t forget about the matches Crash and Jake Dominion had, even back when they were both in the Diabolik – before Jake Dominion showed his true colors. They both drew blood from one another, later calling it a spirited sparring session!

BRYAN HARRIS: You two should stop the conjecture right now, because it’s obvious you’re spinning your wheels, and you need to devote all the brain-power you can muster to just do your jobs.

Crash moves in on Cronos, trying to get to him before Diamante can get to his feet. To the surprise of the fans and Crash alike, Cronos shoots in and uses his right arm to sweep Crash’s legs out from underneath of him, putting him down onto his back, and this time it’s Cronos who drops an elbow. Instead of trying for another one like Crash did, Diamante backs up towards his corner, looks over, and then tags in X-Calibur, much to the appreciation of the fans, who start cheering.

JIMMY YATES: And here comes the preview for the main event fans will see for the World Championship in just a few weeks time at the upcoming pay per view, and I expect this to be a little more heated than what we just saw between Crash and Cronos.

Entering the ring, X-Calibur starts to circle the ring and measure up Crash, but the World Champion rushes in on him and throws two straight right hands which rock X-Calibur back into one of the neutral corners, but when Crash starts to come in on him, X ducks a left hook, spins Crash around and sends him backwards into the corner with a roundhouse right. Then another! THEN ANOTHER!!!

ALAN DUCARD: X-Calibur taking it to the World Champion!!

Before X can connect with anything further, Crash reaches up and pokes his thumb into X-Calibur’s eye, stopping his momentum just long enough. Crash capitalizes by flattening him with a left jab – roundhouse right combination. X tries to get back to his feet as quickly as possible, but Crash takes him by the wrist and whips him across the ring into the far corner where X-Calibur hits chest first. Crash follows him in with a back elbow smash to the side of the head, spinning X-Calibur around.

Climbing up onto the second turnbuckle, Crash begins to rain down onto X-Calibur’s head with right hands so fast that the fans couldn’t count along with them even if they wanted to. Once he’s had his fill, Crash hops back down to the mat and picks X up out of the corner, turns towards the middle of the ring and drops down to a knee, hitting a backbreaker.

BRYAN HARRIS: Look at this show of tenacity by Crash, not just going for the backbreaker, but trying to bend X-Calibur in half THE WRONG WAY!!

ALAN DUCARD: Certainly putting quite a bit of strain on X-Calibur’s back and neck as Crash pushes down on the knee and chin simultaneously, but still X-Calibur fights it.

Reaching out, X-Calibur can’t get to the rope, so he reaches up and puts his thumb inside Crash’s mouth and starts to pull his cheek sideways. As Crash moves his head to the side to get out of X-Calibur’s grasp, he is forced to let go, and X drops to the mat. Crash shakes away the discomfort and lifts X-Calibur up off the mat by the back of his waistband, then quickly lifts him up and then drops him right back down onto his feet with an atomic drop… BUT X-CALIBUR SPINS AROUND AND LEVELS HIM WITH A DIVING CLOTHESLINE!!

ALAN DUCARD: Very important counter there for X-Calibur, because had he not hit that move, the match might very well be close to being over, and I don’t believe anyone wants to see Crash pin X-Calibur here tonight!

BRYAN HARRIS: It might still not be turned around for X, Al…

As X-Calibur starts to measure up Crash and wait for him to get back to his feet, X gets blindsided as Diego de Cardenas rushes into the ring and sends a dropkick to the back of the Number One Contender, sending him down to the mat near Crash. Despite Klinton Porter’s warnings, Diego starts to lay into X-Calibur with hard right hands, the fans all over the arena booing mercilessly, their intensity increasing as Crash gets up off the mat and joins in. Porter moves in and threatens to disqualify his team if Diego doesn’t stop, but Diego starts jawing with Klinton. Before Diego moves from his spot, however, Katsuro Yoshida rushes into the ring, spins Diego around and hits a strike to Diego’s throat.

JIMMY YATES: I guess Katsuro had heard and seen enough!!

Spinning around, Yoshida catches Crash with a roundhouse kick to the chest, sending him backwards down onto the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: Now Klinton Porter has to deal with two illegal men in the ring, though from the looks of it, Diego is going to escape out onto the apron… and now Katsuro Yoshida is going willingly back out into his corner.

Both Crash and X-Calibur start to stir, and X-Calibur gets up to a knee and starts to shake the cobwebs as Crash rolls over towards his corner, not even bothering to get up. Reaching up, X-Calibur tags Katsuro Yoshida into the match, and he enters the ring and waits, letting Crash make his decision. Looking at his options, Crash turns his full attention to Diego, tagging him into the match.

JIMMY YATES: Is it surprising to anyone else that Crash didn’t tag in Gryffin? He’s a lot fresher than Diego, and supposedly Gryffin and Crash are putting their differences aside for tonight…

BRYAN HARRIS: Maybe Diego WANTS to get into the ring with Katsuro, ever thought of that? Maybe Crash and Diego talked before the match and this is what they decided they wanted to do, Jimbo. Think of that?

As Diego enters the ring, he sees the intense look on Katsuro’s face, then lets out a chuckle as he stretches his arm and massages his neck all at the same time. Suddenly Diego quickly moves in and just before he gets to Yoshida, Katsuro spins and goes for a kick, but Cardenas rolls to the side and gets to his feet. Diego moves in quickly and drills Katsuro with a hard right hand, backing him up a step, but then Katsuro blocks a second attempt, grabs Cardenas by the wrist and irish whips him into the opposite ropes. On the return Diego ducks underneath a lotus kick and keeps running, picking up more speed. On the second rebound, Diego leaps up off the mat and spins to the side, taking Katsuro off his feet with a spinning reverse heel kick to the jaw.

Landing just to the side of his opponent, Diego rolls on top of Katsuro and starts peppering him with right hands, only to have Katsuro send a short ridge-hand chop to the side of Diego’s throat, putting a stop to his offensive. Both men get to their feet as quickly as possible, and Diego starts in with the punches again. Katsuro backs him up with a shove, then goes for a right crescent kick, which Diego ducks. Using his momentum, Katsuro twists around, leaps up off the mat and hits a right tornado kick to the side of Diego’s shoulder, dropping him to the mat, sending the crowd into wild hysterics, impressed by the move!

ALAN DUCARD: WHAT A KICK, AND DIEGO IS DOWN!!

JIMMY YATES: I think Katsuro smells blood!!

Lifting Diego up off the mat, he sets him up into a standing headscissors, then flips him up onto his back and holds him up into a crucifix bomb position. Before he can hit the move, though, Katsuro gets drilled by Crash with a right hand to the face, causing him to drop Diego behind him. Diego tries to stay on his feet, but as he stumbles, he knocks into Klinton Porter, dropping him to the ground.

Sensing a double-team, Cronos Diamante gets into the ring, but Gryffin Anselm enters after him, tackling him down to the mat, both men spilling through the ropes to the outside. X-Calibur then enters the fray and drills Crash with a hard right hand. Diego tries to get to X-Calibur, but Katsuro Yoshida grabs him, spins him around and hits an inverted atomic drop, followed quickly by an STO.

BRYAN HARRIS: Damn, somebody needs to do something about Klinton Porter, he can’t keep order in a match to save his life!

As X-Calibur turns around, Crash grabs him by the arm and takes him down to the mat with a short-arm clothesline.

BOOOOOOOO!!!

When Crash turns around, Katsuro Yoshida boots him in the gut, doubling Crash over and dropping him to one knee. Before the Bushido Buntai founder can do anything further, though, Crash drills him with a low blow, dropping him to the mat.

ALAN DUCARD: The World Champion uses the great equalizer, and now we’ve got all four of these guys in a bad way, with Cronos and Gryffin brawling on the outside.

BRYAN HARRIS: And who’s the first one to get up? Looks like it’s going to be MY MAN Diego!!

Using the ropes to assist him, Diego is the first of them to get back to his feet, and as he sees X-Calibur struggling, Cardenas moves in and stomps down onto his chest, flattening X-Calibur back down. Moving to the corner, Diego gets out to the apron and then climbs the turnbuckles as fast as he can. Measuring up X-Calibur, Diego leaps off the top rope, going for his corkscrew senton, but at the last moment X-Calibur rolls out of the way and there is a huge ovation from the fans.

JIMMY YATES: NOTHING BUT MAT!!!

Crash starts to get up off the mat as he sees X-Calibur return to his feet, but before Crash can do anything, Katsuro Yoshida grabs him by the head and tosses him between the ropes, sending him to the arena floor. Turning his attention back towards the middle of the ring, Katsuro locks eyes with X-Calibur, who says something to him. Reaching down, Katsuro locks Diego’s arms into the butterfly position behind his back, then flips over to lock in the Cattle Mutilation, and the fans start cheering. The excitement level grows louder still as X-Calibur moves in and, very carefully, takes Diego’s legs, twists them around his arms, and then wrenches back into the LEGENDARY PAIN elevated cloverleaf!!

ALAN DUCARD: I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a double submission locked on like this before!!

Crowd: LEG-A-SEE!! LEG-A-SEE!! LEG-A-SEE!! LEG-A-SEE!!

BRYAN HARRIS: What you’re seeing here is not only innovative, it’s also extremely illegal! I don’t know if EITHER of those guys is the legal man, let alone Diego!!

JIMMY YATES: Well Klinton Porter is just getting coherent again… he sees the predicament that Diego is in… and he doesn’t know who the legal man is either!!

ALAN DUCARD: It looks like he realizes one thing, though, and that’s Diego has had enough!

Getting to his knees, Klinton Porter calls for the bell and the fans explode!!

Josephina Colbert: Here are your winners as a result of a submission… X-Calibur, Cronos Diamante and Katsuro Yoshida!!!

BRYAN HARRIS: I can’t believe that’s the referee’s decision!! I don’t see HOW IN THE WORLD he can make any ruling other than to disqualify X-Calibur and Katsuro Yoshida for that BLATANT cheating!!

JIMMY YATES: Just like I think we said earlier, Bryan, nobody wanted to see this match end in a disqualification, and Klinton Porter knew that just as well as anybody!!

As the bell sounds, the duo release the hold and Diego slowly starts rolling out of the ring. Returning to their feet, X-Calibur and Katsuro Yoshida high five one another, and are soon joined by Cronos Diamante.

Suddenly the music fades under over the sound system, and the broadcast footage switches over to a view of Rob Belote, who walks out to the edge of the entrance stage, a microphone in hand.

Rob Belote: Sorry to have to interrupt this little celebration.

The view switches over and shows X-Calibur, Cronos, and Katsuro Yoshida, all of whom look a little confused as they stand in the ring. We then see Gryffin Anselm nearing the top of the ramp. Raising his hand, Rob Belote shakes his finger at Gryffin.

Rob Belote: Will, from the looks of things I guess you didn’t get my message that I’d be making an address here tonight, so just turn on around and walk back down to the ring and listen up. I’ve got some things to say. Crash, Diego, you two may as well just hang out down there.

Listening to their boss, the duo stay at ringside, and Gryffin turns around and walks back down the ramp, heading to the opposite side of where Crash is. Backing up a few steps from the top of the ramp, Rob Belote looks back at the entrance curtain.

Rob Belote: Let’s not waste any time, I want everyone in the back to come on out to the ring. I was assured that everyone was told this was going to be happening, so let’s get this show on the road. LEGACY roster… come on down.

Waiting for a moment, Rob remains silent and watches as roster members start rolling out through the curtain, headed for the ring. First Pat Reynolds, then Allen Franks, Kevin Oppenheimer, and then the tag team champions – Domination.

ALAN DUCARD: Well this should be interesting. Not only is it unusual for Rob Belote to appear at a STRIFE other than a SuperCard, I can’t remember the last time he addressed the entire roster.

JIMMY YATES: This must be really important. I can only assume, based on what we heard earlier, that this has to do, in part, with the Tao of Valor situation.

BRYAN HARRIS: You think he’d call a roster meeting just for that? I don’t think so.

Following a large number of LEGACY staff and his fellow competitors alike, Devastation heads down the ramp, glancing at Rob Belote as he passes by him on the way. Standing back, Rob watches as the entire roster and a number of the production staff and security crew make their way down to ringside. Satisfied with the number of people at hand, including the presence of a few key individuals, Rob raises his mic again.

Rob Belote: Okay, then. Now that everybody’s present, I’m going to get started. A few things have happened in the past few weeks since I was last at a LEGACY show that quite frankly I didn’t care much for. In fact, a couple of the things pissed me off. I have a number of things to talk about, but I may as well start with the situation involving the LEGACY International Heavyweight Championship. Mr. Baptiste, you’re out there somewhere, right?

Rob looks for a moment, and then the camera shows the wide-eyed Frenchman standing near the bottom of the ramp, the LEGACY International Heavyweight Championship belt over his shoulder.

Rob Belote: A few weeks ago, one of the road agents for LEGACY International said that the Heavyweight Championship had gone missing, and then a day later I turn on my television set to FX Network and what do I see? I see the belt.

We see Baptiste look SHOCKED, but then Rob shakes his head.

Rob Belote: I don’t care where you got it, I don’t care how it happened, but you will be giving it back.

A man walks out from backstage and walks down to the ring and insists that Baptiste gives him the belt back. When he tries to refuse, Jean-Gerard Baptiste is approached by three rather large members of security, and he reluctantly hands the belt over.

Rob Belote: Now I don’t know who that guy was who you brought to STRIFE 39 with you, but that was most certainly not Jonathan Anders. Know how I know? Because THIS is Jonathan Anders.

Another man walks out through the curtain, dressed in a gray suit with a light blue and white striped shirt and a black and blue striped tie. He walks up next to Rob Belote and is presented with the LEGACY International Heavyweight Championship, and a microphone.

Jonathan Anders: Thanks for getting this returned to us, Mr. Baptiste. Part of me wondered whether you would try to sue us for taking the belt away from you, but in this case, Possession is NOT 9/10ths of the law… and if you wanted to argue that fact, you might just find yourself guilty of THEFT.

The camera shows Baptiste, who looks astounded.

Jonathan Anders: Now, we have been graciously allowed by Rob Belote and mainstay LEGACY to have a spot at the pre-show for the upcoming pay per view, at which we will be having a match to award this championship… and I’m guessing much to many people’s surprise, that match will include Jean-Gerard Baptiste!

Some booing rolls in from around the arena.

Jonathan Anders: That was the plan we settled on a month ago, and I wonder if Mr. Baptiste had known about it, if things would’ve gone down as they did back at STRIFE 39. But regardless, up until tonight, we didn’t have an opponent set for him, but we decided to let Rob Belote pick his opponent.

Rob Belote: There are a number of individuals who I’ve been watching over the past month or so, and here in tonight’s main event, it came down to two people who I thought were going to get this chance, and I’ve settled on one. Katsuro Yoshida? I’ve seen what you did over in Japan, I’ve seen more and more flashes of that lately, so at the pre-show, you will get your chance at the LEGACY International Heavyweight Championship belt!

There’s a decent amount of applause from the crowd, having been impressed by Katsuro’s involvement in the way tonight’s match transpired.

Rob Belote: Another thing that kinda pissed me off was when someone decided it would be a good idea to spend the money to have a Rob Belote costume created and have an imposter show up at STRIFE 39 and make rulings which affect the upcoming pay per view!

Rob shakes his head, and the camera switches to show Derek Shane and Shadow, both sitting in chairs in the second row of the crowd at ringside.

Rob Belote: Now I could take a guess at who was behind that whole situation, because frankly only one person was probably going to benefit from it, but time is of the essence, and I have to mention a couple other things before the night is over, so I just wanted to let everyone know what the Tao of Valor situation is for the pay per view. Frankly, I’ve had a number of people approach me about wanting a match, and all the voices, they keep mixing around in my head, and truthfully, I want this to be as judicious as possible.

Justin Moreno: Excuse me for just a minute, boss-man...

The camera switches to ringside, where Justin Moreno is standing in the ring with a microphone in hand.

Justin Moreno: I hate to break up this little pow-wow, but it seems to me we've got three people all with a legit claim to my title. I've done some thinking and I figure the best way to solve this little problem is why not have me take on Adam Davis, Derek Shane, AND Stephen Rawlings at this pay-per-view coming up? I think all these fans here in attendance are looking forward to seeing "Huntington beach's Most Xtreme" take on all three of these guys, am I right?

Rob considers it, then shakes his head.

Rob Belote: I appreciate your willingness to do that, Justin, and I think that’s the direction we’re going to go. Adam Davis, I’ve talked with you in the past, I know what you’re all about, and you were guaranteed a shot at the Tao of Valor Title at this upcoming pay per view. From all I know of you, it doesn’t seem like you’re going to mind sharing your title shot, because if you win this match, it’s a huge feather in your cap.

The camera switches over and shows the Iceman, who simply shrugs his shoulders.

Rob Belote: I like to give out opportunities for people to shine, so a four-way title shot? Sounds good to me. Thing is, we want to make sure that the person who walks away with that belt is truly deserving of it, and since there’s a Tao of Valor token on the line, I can think of only one type of match which would suffice…

The anticipation level amongst the crowd grows and grows, waiting for Rob to finish his thought.

Rob Belote: It will be Ultimate X!

The fans pop when they hear the stipulation surrounding the four-way match, and Rob nods, knowing that the fans would like the decision. The camera then shows Derek Shane, still seated in the second row, and he is visibly pissed off at the announcement. Shadow just shakes his head and then whispers something to Shane, who nods, and then they both get up from their seats and walk out, Shane looking down at his watch as he heads up the steps.

Rob Belote: Two more things to go, so bare with me. Much to my delight, the tag team division is growing rather nicely here in LEGACY, so much so that I don’t think it’s right to only let one tag team get a title shot at the upcoming pay per view. The Unholy Alliance want their rematch. El Chupacabra want their rematch. ANARCHY, the Canuckin’ Cowboys, Mirage & Lucien Gray, Fast Times, Worldwide Bushido Buntai, you all want your shot too, so here’s what we’re going to do.

Rob pauses for a moment.

Rob Belote: Pat Reynolds, as you very well know, Jimmy Smith reaggravated an injury, and he won’t be able to compete at the pay per view, so that takes Fast Times out of the running, despite the fact that I was considering you all for this situation. Oppy and Katsuro, because of the LEGACY International Heavyweight Championship match, you two won’t be involved in the tag title situation either. But…

Rob pauses again.

Rob Belote: The rest of you WILL be. ANARCHY, Cowboys, Mirage & Lucien, here’s what’s going to happen… At the pre-show, the six of you will compete in a match. The winner of that match WILL go on to the pay per view to compete in a FOUR TEAM LADDER MATCH FOR THE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES! Diego, Hector, Damien, Turner, you guys have already shown that you deserve another title shot, so you’ll be in there as well, and obviously our tag team champions – Logan’s Guns, Domination, you’ll be in there as well.

The camera switches over to show Trent Logan standing beside Ben Murdock and Steve O’Reily, all three of them looking calm, taking the news with a grain of salt.

Rob Belote: The last thing I need to do here tonight is to give you all a name, something to call this upcoming event. In order to establish a little more tradition around here, I’ve decided to go back to a name that we used once before. For TWENTY of you, the opportunity now exists to leave the upcoming pay per view with championship gold, so for each of you, I’m guessing you plan on winning whatever matches it’s going to take to walk away with a title belt, and so each of you probably considers yourselves DESTINED… FOR GREATNESS!!