Narrative History of
LEGACY Championships
To understand the current state of things in LEGACY, a good place to start is to look at the championships. To understand what is currently happening with each of those championships, you should probably look into the history of each of those titles. Is it completely necessary to know everything that has happened with each of those belts? No, but if you're in line for a title shot (or hope to be), you probably want to have a little background in who has worn the gold in the past, and who has tried and failed to attain it.
Select one of the championships below to read a narrative history pertaining to that title.
| LEGACY World Title | |
| LEGACY World Tag Titles | |
| No Limit | Tao of Valor |
The first person to step up to the plate was Dan Stein, and he made his intentions known the first show after Rise of the Elite, as he and his tag team partner brutally attacked Greyson Blade backstage. In a non-title match the following week, Dan Stein defeated Greyson Blade, albeit with a little bit of help from Conor McLellan. In their rematch with the belt on the line, Dan Stein came up short and Blade retained his championship. Meanwhile Stephen Rawlings declared that he wanted the opportunity to face Greyson Blade as well, but right after announcing that, Rawlings was attacked by Katsuro Yoshida. Two matches between those two took place, and after Rawlings was victorious in the second one, he got his match against Greyson Blade, the match happening a week after Greyson defeated Dan Stein with the belt on the line. Dan Stein's resolve to become the next World Champion proved to still be intact as he interfered in the match between Stephen Rawlings and Greyson Blade, causing it to end without a decision. At Advent Empire, the three men squared off in a three-way elimination match, and Greyson Blade was victorious.
After Advent Empire, Nicholas Creed made it known that he felt like he deserved a shot at the World Title, having not only defended the Tao of Valor Championship in 3 of the 4 stipulation matches, but also having defeated Cronos Diamante and Voodoo in a match at Rise of the Elite as a champion under the fourth stipulation. Greyson Blade stated that as a fighting champion, he would accept Creed's challenge, and the next show, Creed took the World Championship belt from Greyson's locker room, holding on to it until their match at the Philadelphia SuperCard. At that event, Greyson Blade was able to defeat Nicholas Creed, but after the match Creed attacked him and then attacked the LEGACY officials who came to Greyson's aid. Creed was then suspended indefinitely for his actions. The injuries Blade sustained were not serious enough to keep him out of action long, though.
Shortly after being signed to LEGACY, former boxing champion Jake Blaine set up a press conference where he issued a challenge to The Outlaw. It was quickly accepted by Greyson Blade, but since Jake Blaine had never had a pro-wrestling match, the front office declared that it would be a non-title shot, especially due to Blaine's reputation for underhanded tactics. At the end of that match, Jake Blaine used brass knucks on The Outlaw, getting himself disqualified. He didn't seem to care, however, and he continued the attack until Marcus Marion came down to the ring and revealed that the illegal tactic was just a plot by Marion and Blaine to soften up the World Champion. Marcus then revealed that he was using his rematch clause from when he lost the title, taking the shot at Brick by Brick. Marion then continued the attack, sending Blade to the hospital. This time the doctors were doubtfull that Greyson should compete any time in the near future, and on the next STRIFE, Marcus Marion came out and bragged about what he had done. Much to his surprise, however, Greyson Blade showed up and sent him a message with the help of a sledgehammer, giving Marcus something to think about as they headed towards the pay per view event.
At Brick by Brick, the battle between Greyson Blade and Marcus Marion was one of the most heated battles in LEGACY history, and in the end it was the challenger who got the victory and took home the gold. The damage Marion inflicted to the already injured body of Greyson Blade proved to be enough to put The Outlaw on the shelf for an undetermined period of time to recover. Having won the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, Stephen Rawlings was guaranteed a shot at the World Title, and he didn't want to wait until the next pay per view event. The challenge was set and the match was booked for the next SuperCard, Rawlings only having to wait through three shows before getting his shot at Marion and the World Title. During the weeks between the pay per view and the SuperCard, Marcus Marion retreated to various vacation spots, getting in some rest and relaxation after his war with Greyson Blade. Stephen Rawlings took the opposite route, staying home and training tirelessly for his championship match upcoming at the Jacksonville SuperCard.
At that event, Stephen Rawlings' devotion to training paid off, as he was able to overcome Marcus Marion, who had become visibly more sluggish due to his 6 weeks of vacationing, to capture the LEGACY World Championship. On the very next STRIFE, Marcus Marion announced that he would have the next shot at the belt, taking his rematch at the upcoming pay per view and vowed to train much harder for this match and regain his title. At CALL TO ARMS, the level of effort Marion put into his training was evident, as he matched hold-for-hold with Rawlings for most of the match. In the end, however, Rawlings was able to get the better of his opponent, again beating Marion with his Death Valley Driver / Dragon Sleeper combination.
Right after his match with Marcus Marion had ended, Stephen Rawlings got a microphone and said he planned to be a fighting champion, taking on challengers whenever possible. Loco Martinez then showed up and tested the strength of Rawlings' convictions, challenging him to a match right then and there. With a moment's distraction from John Thomas, Loco Martinez was able to knock out Stephen Rawlings and take home the World Championship. Not content to allow the impromptu match with Loco Martinez to be the end of the story, Stephen Rawlings got the rematch signed for DESTINED FOR GREATNESS. From the time Loc Martinez's hand was raised at CALL TO ARMS until after the last STRIFE prior to the pay per view, Stephen Rawlings took a quiet approach, remaining focused on his preparations for the rematch. In their rematch, Loco Martinez was able to find a way to once again take Stephen Rawlings off his game, picking up the victory and retaining the title.
In the days after the pay per view, the front office decided to keep the World Title situation fresh and move things along, signing a Number One Contenders match between Justin Moreno and Jake Dominion to take place on the next show and a four man tournament to determine the person who would be the number one contender after the SuperCard. On STRIFE 26, Jake Dominion defeated Justin Moreno to earn a World title shot, and both Ray Willmott and Cade Sydal advanced to the tournament finals. At SuperCard STRIFE 27, Ray Willmott won the tournament finals, earning himself a title shot at the pay per view. In the SuperCard's main event, Loco Martinez was able to get a win over Jake Dominion after a distraction by Crash and Diego de Cardenas.
Due to the distractions, the front office decided to make the World Title Match at ELEVATED TENSIONS a four-way match with the winner of the first fall taking home the belt, putting Crash in the match to make sure there's no future collusion between he and Loco Martinez, and also adding Justin Moreno to allow him to finally step into the ring with Crash. In a valiant effort by all involved, Loco Martinez was able to overcome the odds and walk out of the ring at Elevated Tensions still holding on to the LEGACY World Title.
Making his return to LEGACY, Rocky Stellar spoke to Loco Martinez in the ring on the first STRIFE after Elevated Tensions, telling his former tag team partner that he isn't happy about how Loco has been acting. That set up a match between the two men set for SuperCard STRIFE 31, and in that match, Loco Martinez was able to win a close match against Stellar. During that match, John Thomas tried to get Loco to use a chair to help him win the match, but Martinez refused to use the weapon against his long-time friend and former tag team partner. To determine who would get the World Title shot at the next pay per view, the front office set up another four-man tournament. Crash got the victory over Stephen Rawlings, and he would've met Jake Dominion in the finals, but we learned at STRIFE 32 that the ankle injury Jake Dominion sustained in his disqualification defeat of Gryffin Anselm will keep him out of action until after the pay per view. We also learned at STRIFE 32 that because the Diabolik caused Jake's injury, the front office decided to cancel the tournament finals. Wanting to find a way to still get a World Title shot at the pay per view, Crash challenged X-Calibur to a match for STRIFE 33 - whereby if X-Calibur puts his four Tao of Valor tokens on the line in the match, he will automatically get $25,000 in cash, and he can get another $75,000 if he defeats Crash. During that match, Greg Allocca showed up and attacked X-Calibur, leading to an easy victory for The Diabolik member, allowing Crash to get the World Title shot. To keep The Diabolik from finding a way to cheat the top championship away from Loco Martinez, the front office appointed Jake Dominion the special guest referee for the match.
At FORGED BY FIRE, the plan the front office had laid out to ensure a fair match between Crash and Loco Martinez was ruined, as Jake Dominion kicked Loco Martinez in the back of the head, counted an easy pinfall for Crash, and then took off his referee's shirt to reveal his Diabolik allegiance.
Obviously frustrated by the deception they fell prey to, the front office set in place two things to make sure that Crash would have to work hard to hold on to the World Title. In the 2008 Hawkins Memorial Tournament, which Crash is a part of, all participating champions (including the World Champion) would have to defend their titles in each tournament match in which they were a part. Also, the front office announced that at the next pay per view, five teams of three competitors each would be competing in the Co-Op Challenge, an elimination match where the winner walks away with the World Championship.
At STRIFE 34 in his opening round match of the tournament, Crash defended the belt successfully against Crazy Boy in a match which was close until the end. Two weeks later at STRIFE 35, Crash walked out halfway through his match with X-Calibur, and so X-Calibur advances to the semi-finals, but because he lost by Count Out, Crash retains the World Title. Five teams of three assembled, and GLIMMER OF HOPE saw the arrival of the Co-Op Challenge. At the end of the night, it came down to Crash and X-Calibur, and with the help of a pair of brass knucks, the champion was able to retain his gold.
Able to face whomever he wanted at SuperCard STRIFE 38, Crash chose Cronos Diamante as his opponent. Late in that match, Gryffin Anselm showed up after being MIA for the past month and attacked Cronos, paying off the referee to turn his head, and gifting Crash with a successful title defense. Also at that SuperCard, X-Calibur won a three-way match involving Devastation and Jake Dominion to come out as the Number One Contender for the World Title. X-Calibur got his one-on-one against Crash for the World Title at DESTINED FOR GREATNESS 2008, and after a brutal match which was partially contested on the arena steps, X-Calibur came out with the gold.
After winning the World Championship from Crash at Destined For Greatness, X-Calibur came out on STRIFE 41 and made a bold statement with very few words. After laying his championship belt down on the announcer’s table, X-Calibur disappeared into the back for most of the night. The show went on, with each and every competitor through out the night taking notice of the glistening championship strap out of the corner of their eyes. It wasn’t until John Thomas came out to the ring, unannounced, did someone decide to test fate and grab the championship belt. After doing so, he climbed into the ring with the belt in one hand and a microphone in the other and proceeded to make the assumption that X-Calibur didn’t want to be the title holder. After John Thomas made the erroneous decision to unofficially label himself as the LEGACY World Champion, the real World Champion erupted from the back and delivered a vicious beat down. Afterwards, without saying a single word, he held the championship in front of the camera and proceeded to put the title back on the announcer’s table, almost daring anyone in the company to come and try and take it from him.
Just after the main event concluded and the show was ready to go off the air, X-Calibur came out from the back and retrieved his championship belt. Devastation, feeling that X-Calibur’s actions were unbecoming of a World Champion, came out to the entrance ramp and made the direct challenge to X-Calibur for SuperCard STRIFE 42. In a hard fought match that went back and forth, Devastation was unsuccessful in his attempts at taking the title away from X-Calibur and teaching him a lesson in respect. X-Calibur, feeling a newfound respect of his own towards the admirable competitor, shook hands with the technical machine and concluded what many critics have called Devastation’s best match in years.
At the start of SuperCard STRIFE 42, for the second show in a row X-Calibur appeared at the start of the show and placed his championship belt on the announcer’s table. This would once again come into play halfway through the broadcast as, during the tag team title match between Domination and challengers Above Average Insanity, John Thomas appeared to have tricked his partner Loco Martinez into touching the LEGACY World Title. Stubbornly maintaining the purpose of his mission to invoke a challenge from anyone worthy enough in the locker room, X-Calibur once again launched from the back to the ringside area and drilled Loco into the thin matting with an X-Terminator. After readjusting the title back on the announcer’s table, John Thomas was pinned in the ring.
After X-Calibur effectively ruined Above Average Insanity’s chances at becoming tag team champions, Loco Martinez became a man on a mission in his own right. Coming out to the ring after a match on the middle of STRIFE 43, Loco Martinez stares at the championship belt that had once again been left on the announcer’s table at the start of the show. This time knowing full well what he is getting himself into, Loco promptly touches the title. Realizing that Loco Martinez’s actions were ambitious rather than disrespectful, X-Calibur comes out from the back and the two competitors get into an intense stare down with words being traded. The match is then officially set up by Smith Cartwright a few days later on LEGACY’s official website. X-Calibur Vs Loco Martinez: LEGACY X. For the LEGACY World Championship.
At STRIFE 44, the World Champion, X-Calibur, and his former challenger Devastation, teamed up against his challenger for LEGACY X, Loco Martinez, and the returning Herb Moxley. If Loco’s team won, he would be able to book a match of his choice, and if X-Calibur’s team won, then he would be able to do the same. After a night filled with impersonations and Halloween dress-ups, John Thomas once again wedged himself between Loco Martinez and X-Calibur and interfered during the match, unintentionally (or so it seemed) earning Loco Martinez and Herb Moxley a disqualification win after he nailed the former with a chair shot. John Thomas had maintained the fact that it was an accidental chair shot, but in the events leading up to LEGACY X Loco Martinez had seemed to be under the impression that it was no accident. This only made him more determined to win the title from X-Calibur at the pay per view.
In what would go on to win the award for BEST MATCH OF THE YEAR(2008) at the third annual Year End Awards, X-Calibur and Loco Martinez fought in an epic match-up at LEGACY X which saw X-Calibur once again retaining the World Championship from a technically superb adversary. The match lasted nearly forty minutes as X-Calibur and Loco Martinez reversed each other’s moves and brought together one of the greatest matches in LEGACY history.
At STRIFE 45, Loco Martinez came out to the ring at the start of the show and asked X-Calibur for a rematch. It didn’t take X-Calibur’s fighting spirit long to answer this challenge, as he promptly came out from the back and accepted. Taking X-Calibur’s words literally, Loco Martinez requested that the match happen in the main event of the show, to which X-Calibur once again accepted without hesitation. In what would become the shock of the century, Loco Martinez would go on to defeat X-Calibur for the championship after an ambush from the tag team Anarchy just before the match got underway. Revealing that he was the mastermind behind the sneak attack, Loco Martinez celebrated with the LEGACY World Championship as John Thomas came out from the back with two men pulling Loco’s old trophy case on a hand truck. As he placed the World Title back into the trophy case and locked the door, X-Calibur bled a stream into the canvas.
In a duplicitous attempt to circumvent the system, Loco Martinez cashed in his right to book a match from the tag team contest he won by disqualification at STRIFE 44 and gave X-Calibur a “rematch” for the championship at SuperCard STRIFE 46. In this rematch, X-Calibur would have to fight three opponents at the same time, as well as deal with the special guest referee: John Thomas. In what would ultimately be an excuse to legally perform a public execution on X-Calibur, they made the challenger suffer for nearly fifteen minutes before finally having him succumb to the sheer numbers that rallied against him. Even after the match was officially over, the now dubbed Cirque du MoFo continued beating on the former World Champion mercilessly. Having seen enough, both Herb Moxley, who had taken Loco Martinez’s vicious and violent turn in behavior very hard, and wrestling veteran turned LEGACY newcomer Diamond Del Carver came out to rescue X-Calibur from the beatings of Anarchy, John Thomas, and Loco Martinez.
With Loco Martinez needing a challenger to defend the title against at the upcoming Eleventh Hour Pay-Per-View, Smith Cartwright put the aftermath of SuperCard STRIFE 46's main event into account and announced that Loco Martinez would indeed go up against Herb Moxley, Diamond Del Carver, and getting a true rematch, X-Calibur, in a Fatal Fourway Match. In this match however, after weeks and weeks of frustrations building up inside of him, X-Calibur finally snapped and got himself disqualified from the contest by attacking two referees and whacking both Del Carver and Herb Moxley with a steel chair. Then, despite a valiant effort from both Moxley and Carver, Loco Martinez managed to sneak a pin on Diamond Del Carver to retain his championship after Cirque du MoFo members T. Rex and Arch Angel of the tag team Anarchy made an appearance and inevitable impact.
Ever since stepping foot into LEGACY, the team of Eric Wolfson and Jake Dominion - the Old School Kings - have been nearly flawless in tag team competition. At Rise of the Elite 3, they defeated the team of John Thomas and Loco Martinez. After racking up a couple more victories, they found themselves with a shot at the World Tag Team Titles at Advent Empire. The Revenge of the Nerds were able to hold on to the belts leading into that pay per view event, but Herb Moxley earned himself a shot at the Tao of Valor Championship - a match set to take place at Advent Empire, and that left Moxley double-booked. After defeating Nicholas Creed (protege of Old School Kings member Eric Wolfson), the attack Moxley sustained at the hands of the monster was just too much to overcome, and the Nerds left Advent Empire having lost the World Tag Team Titles to the Old School Kings.
Dating back years, the Old School Kings have had friction with both Will "Gryffin" Anselm and "The All Star" James Win. Until this point, most of it has been lower level dislike of one another, with only a couple matches happening that involved members from the two teams meeting in the ring. Lately, things have been escalating. The frustration built up for Gryffin Anselm in two encounters, one where he was nearly run over by Jake Dominion's limo, and the other when he found out that Eric Wolfson had been given a shot at the No Limits Title before he got a shot to regain the belt he had lost only weeks before - with Jake Dominion right there to rub it in. During that match, Gryffin Anselm got involved and cost Wolfson the match. With a semi-final match in the inaugural Hawkins Memorial Tournament coming up for Jake Dominion, the front office banned Gryffin Anselm and James Win from ringside, hoping to ensure it would be a clean match. What they didn't count on was Anselm and his financial backer Big Lou bribing John Thomas to do their dirty work for them. When Jake Dominion found out the reason John Thomas cost him an opportunity to fight for a World Title shot, he quickly accepted Gryffin's challenge for a shot at the World Tag Team Titles. At the next show, Anselm introduced LEGACY to two of his associates - Hendrickson Tyler and Stevie Paginello - who issued a challenge for an improptu match with the Old School Kings with the tag team gold on the line. The Old School Kings accepted the challenge and won the match, however, it turned out that the real goal of the match was to weaken Eric Wolfson heading into the pay per view, a goal which they accomplished. At Brick by Brick, Gryffin Anselm and James Win were able to isolate Eric Wolfson and continued to attack the knee, using that strategy to win the match and take home the Championship gold.
After the pay per view event, the Syndicate announced that they would be doing an analysis of the current tag teams on the LEGACY roster to determine who would get the opportunity to face them at the SuperCard. When Anselm & Win made their announcement as to whom the number one contenders would be, many people questioned whether they picked the top team, or if they had picked a team who they thought would be the easiest to defend their titles against. One of the doubters were the members of Fast Times - the very team chosen to get the shot at the event. At the Jacksonville SuperCard, Jimmy Smith and Pat Reynolds put up a better fight than most thought they would, but the Syndicate still managed to retain their championship gold.
At the very next STRIFE, the Syndicate showed up and announced that they would look long and hard at all of the contenders to their belt to determine who would be the next challengers, but Jake Dominion settled that for him by announcing that he was using the rematch clause to take a chance at regaining the belts, and since Eric Wolfson was on the shelf indefinitely, Crash stepped up to help out his friend in hopes of regaining the tag team gold. The finale of the tag title match at CALL TO ARMS saw Crash pull a swerve, joining the Syndicate (now known as the Diabolik) and causing Jake Dominion to get pinned.
At the CALL TO ARMS event, there was also a number one contenders ladder match between Domination, Long Island Hardcore, and the Bushido Buntai. The end of the match saw a member of Long Island Hardcore (Jared Walsh) and a member of Domination (Ben Murdock) come down off the ladder with the briefcase containing the contract for a title shot, but with the help of his tag team partner (Steve O'Reily), the member of Domination (Ben Murdock) was able to take the briefcase from the Long Island Hardcore member (Jared Walsh) and the referee awarded the victory to Domination. Because Long Island Hardcore were involved in a controversial decision at the end of the ladder match at CALL TO ARMS, the front office decided to avoid any potential litigation, complaints, or backstage physical violence, Long Island Hardcore got a shot at The Diabolik at STRIFE 24. Jared Walsh and C.J. Nelson were unable to pick up the victory, and The Diabolik added another successful title defense to their resume.
Easily the top contenders, Domination got the title match at DESTINED FOR GREATNESS against the Diabolik. Prior to the match, Steve O'Reily looked sick backstage, but wanted to fight through it. It was obvious that he looked sick during the match, and near the end Steve O'Reily vomited at ringside, taking him out of the match completely and making for a smooth, successful title defense for the Diabolik from then on. Because of the circumstances involved in the first match (we found out after the event that Steve O'Reily's vomiting was caused by "an altered waterbottle" given to Domination by Ron Bailey), the front office decided to grant Domination a rematch at the pay per view, but they also added the Canuckin' Cowboys to the mix. This was due to speculation over the Diabolik's involvement in the kidnapping of the Cowboys' manager, Calgary Carl. Days before the Elevated Tensions pay per view, Calgary Carl was released by "whoever it was who had kidnapped him", but Gryffin Anselm's request for the Canuckin' Cowboys to be removed from the title match at the pay per view was denied. The three-way match proved to be too much for The Diabolik to handle, and in the end Domination were able to end the 300 day reign of Gryffin Anselm and James Win, taking the title belts home with them.
The first STRIFE after Elevated Tensions, Hannah Perez made a challenge to Domination on behalf of El Chupacabra (Diego de Cardenas y Hector Rodriguez), a challenge which was accepted for the following show. At SuperCard STRIFE 31, El Chupacabra attacked Trent Logan, sending him off in an ambulance before the tag title match took place. That distraction, along with the distraction by Hannah Perez during the match, lead to El Chupacabra being able to win the match and the World Tag Team Titles.
For STRIFE 32, the front office forced El Chupacabra to put the World Tag Titles on the line against Kevin Oppenheimer and Katsuro Yoshida, two men with whom Diego and Hector have a lot of history with. Domination ran down to the ring and attacked Diego and Hector, giving El Chupacabra a successful title defense by disqualification.
At FORGED BY FIRE, Domination got their rematch against Diego and Hector, this time with Trent Logan at ringside, but as it looked like "RAGE" Ben Murdock and "VENOM" Steve O'Reily were going to win the gold, El Chupacabra left the ringside area, getting counted out, but allowing them to remain World Tag Team Champions. Domination did leave with the gold, though, because Diego and Hector initially forgot to take the belts with them, and Trent Logan got the belts from the time keeper, handing the gold to RAGE and VENOM, who seem content to hold onto the belts until they can get a rematch with El Chupacabra. Two days before the ppv, Katsuro Yoshida and Kevin Oppenheimer became number one contenders to the World Tag Team Titles by winning a four-way match at the FORGED BY FIRE Pre-Show.
Having seen how El Chupacabra retained the World Tag Team Championships, Worldwide Bushido Buntai informed Domination (and the front office) that they would not challenge for the World Tag Team Titles until after Domination got a rematch against El Chupacabra. Damien Black and Chris Turner then laid out the challenge to Katsuro Yoshida and Kevin Oppenheimer to defend the Number One Contender Spot, a challenge which was accepted. In the main event of the GLIMMER OF HOPE Pre-Show, The UnHoly Alliance defeated the Worldwide Bushido Buntai, making Chris Turner and Damien Black the Number One Contenders to the World Tag Team Championships. Getting a rematch for the World Tag Team Championships in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, Domination pulled out a victory at GLIMMER OF HOPE and became two-time World Tag Team Champions.
The UnHoly Alliance made it very clear that they didn't intend on waiting to get their title shot. At SuperCard STRIFE 38, Damien Black and Chris Turner got their shot, but they were unable to come out with a victory, and Domination retained the championship belts. With no clear top contenders to the belts, it was announced that Domination would have to defend their titles in a four-way ladder match, including El Chupacabra, UnHoly Alliance, and the fourth team would be whichever team won a three-way match at the pay per view pre-show. At the pre-show, Mirage & Lucien Gray defeated the Canuckin' Cowboys and ANARCHY to become the qualifiers, moving on to the Ladder Match at DESTINED FOR GREATNESS 2008. In that Ladder Match, Domination found a way to get their hands on the belts first, and defied the odds to retain their championships.
SuperCard STRIFE 42 - JT & Loco
The Diabolik def Cronos & Rawlings
STRIFE 43 - El Chupacabra def ANARCHY
The Diabolik def UnHoly Alliance
WWBB def Mirage & Lucien Gray
STRIFE 44 - The Diabolik def WWBB & El Chupa
LEGACY X - The Diabolik
SuperCard STRIFE 46 - Eight-man
STRIFE 47 - ANARCHY def HgH & Turner/Laura & El Chupa & AoD
The Image and Branding Solution consultants, hired to help give LEGACY a unique feel and restructure, went along with a Gryffin Anselm suggestion to change the National Title into the No Limit Title - a hardcore, "anything goes" championship. Gryffin Anselm was successfull in defending the re-christened belt until Advent Empire, where he squared off in a "first fall wins" triangle match. Katsuro Yoshida took advantage of an opportunity and took out both Loco Martinez and Gryffin Anselm, getting Gryffin to pass out to a submission hold to become the No Limits Champion.
When Gryffin went to the front office to inquire about his rematch for the No Limits Championship and Katsuro Yoshida, he was informed that he would not be the first person getting a shot at the belts, that instead it would be Eric Wolfson. When Gryffin found out, Wolfson's tag team partner, Jake Dominion, decided to "throw salt in the wound" and rub it in that his partner got the shot instead. During that match at the Philly SuperCard, Gryffin ran out and attacked Wolfson, allowing Katsuro Yoshida to win the match and retain the belt.
Having been eliminated from the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, Diego de Cardenas wasn't having the best of days, and Osamu Hayashi found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Crossing paths backstage, Diego decided he was going to prove a point, and so he got a match set up between he and Hayashi for the next show. After defeating Osamu, Diego got the microphone and made the challenge to Katsuro Yoshida, wanting a shot at the No Limits Title at Brick by Brick to further prove himself. In their match, both men battled with everything they had, but it was Diego de Cardenas, with the use of a ladder and a minor assist from Hannah Perez, picking up the victory and the championship.
Diego didn't waste any time in defending the belt, however. On the first STRIFE following the pay per view event, a chance encounter with Allen Franks backstage caused Diego de Cardenas to send the young Canadian a challenge for the following show. Again with an assist from Hannah Perez, Diego de Cardenas picked up the victory. After the match, Diego got on the microphone and demanded that Isaac Entragian, who won an opportunity to fight for either the No Limits Title or the Tao of Valor Championship, show up and explain that the reason he chose to go for the Tao of Valor Championship instead of the No Limits Title was that he was afraid of Diego. When Isaac showed up, however, he told the world that he had changed his mind, and the match for the Jacksonville SuperCard was set. At that event, Diego de Cardenas nearly lost his championship, but Hannah Perez helped break up a sure pinfall attempt. When Diego seemed to be escaping to the backstage area, Isaac followed him, only to be drilled with a huge chairshot, which secured the pinfall victory for Diego.
A couple shows after the Jacksonville SuperCard, Diego de Cardenas tried to announce that he would be choosing the next person to get a shot at the No Limits Title, but looking to avoid a bogus challenger being chosen (which the Syndicate had done several weeks prior in order to get themselves an easy tag title defense), the front office decided that a match would be set up to determine the number one contender. That match, taking place a couple weeks later, was won by Issac Entragian. In the rematch for the No Limits Title at CALL TO ARMS, Issac Entragian wasn't tricked by Diego de Cardenas, and the Albino Abomination was able to score the victory and take home the belt.
Three individuals showed interest in taking on Issac Entragian for the No Limits Title, and none of them were named Diego de Cardenas. Mostafa Bashir was given the first opportunity after he defeated Jimmy Smith in convincing fashion on STRIFE 23, but Issac Entragian defeated The Beast from Kandahar on STRIFE 24, picking up his first successful title defense. The other two individuals, Gigantus Awesomo and Matt Towers, squared off against one another on STRIFE 25, and in that match, Matt Towers got the victory, earning himself a shot at Issac Entragian and the No Limits Title at DESTINED FOR GREATNESS. When the two biggest men in LEGACY locked horns in the match, the larger of the two, Matt Towers, came up short, losing his first ever singles match in LEGACY and Issac Entragian successfully defends the No Limits Championship.
Also at Destined for Greatness, Diego de Cardenas defeated Cronos Diamante in a No Limits match, getting some help from his friend Hector Rodriguez. When Cronos was denied a rematch by Diego, the front office stepped in and gave Cronos a shot at Hector Rodriguez in a Number One Contenders match towards the No Limits Title, a match Cronos Diamante won. In a brutal match which saw Cronos Diamante get more of his "Devil" edge back to him, Elevated Tensions proved to be the last match in Issac Entragian's first reign with the No Limits Title, as Cronos was able to take home the gold.
At STRIFE 30, Ron Bailey and Crazy Boy both went to the front office asking for a shot at the No Limits Title, and before the front office was even asked to make their decision, Cronos Diamante showed up and said he would fight them both in a three-way match at SuperCard STRIFE 31. During that contest, Mirage showed up and attacked Crazy Boy (who had stopped Mirage from cheating in a match earlier in the night), but as Cronos saw the attack, he refused to go for the pinfall on Crazy Boy, turning his attention to Ron Bailey - whom he eventually made tap out to successfully retain the No Limits title.
The very next show, Issac Entragian got a microphone after his match and furthere gave us an insight into his obession over the No Limits title and also stated his intentions to use his rematch clause at the upcoming pay per view. Then Greyson Blade showed up, reminding us that his sights are set on the No Limits Title as well and that the title shot he earned in the Opportunity Ladder Match has to be used at the upcoming pay per view. For the second time in a month, Cronos Diamante showed up and agreed to take part in a three-way match with the No Limits Title on the line. At FORGED BY FIRE, Greyson Blade won a brutal match to take home the No Limits Championship.
The No Limits Championship was the only singles title not defended amongst the matches in the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, with the front office stating that No Limits Matches don't align well with the way they wanted to honor Dave Hawkins. After seeing Issac Entragian get disqualified from his first round match with Stephen Rawlings, Greyson Blade showed up and said that he wanted to get into the ring with Issac again with the No Limits Title on the line. Having watched Issac put Rawlings through a table, Greyson asked that their match be a Tables Match. STRIFE 35 saw a brutal match between Blade and Entragian, and also included some interference by Greg Allocca and Crazy Boy (who showed up to try to counter-balance Greg Allocca's potential influence on the outcome). When the dust settled, both Greyson Blade and Issac Entragian went through a table at the same time, forcing the referee to determine neither man the winner, which allowed Greyson Blade to retain the No Limits Title.
When asked by Justin Moreno to be on TEAM MONSTER, Moreno's team for the Co-Op Challenge, Greyson Blade declined the offer, stating that he had other business to attend to at the pay per view. Later that evening as Issac Entragian stood in the ring and talked about how Greyson Blade had lost his edge and was no longer as tough of a competitor as he used to be, The Outlaw showed up and gave Entragian a surprise KILLSHOT spear right through a flatscreen television, letting it be known that his intentions were to defend the No Limits Title against The Albino Abomination at the pay per view. At GLIMMER OF HOPE, Greyson Blade and Issac Entragian did battle inside a steel cage with a roof on it, and Greyson Blade was able to come out of that match with the No Limits Championship still in his grasp.
After his big title defense against Issac Entragian, Greyson Blade was allowed to pick his opponent for the next title shot, and he selected a man who had been a thorn in his side, Greg Allocca - who considers Issac Entragian to be a mentor. The two fought at SuperCard STRIFE 38, Greyson Blade capitalized on a mistake by the Angel of Violence and scored the pinfall to retain the No Limits title. Beating Greyson Blade's friend Crazy Boy at STRIFE 39, Issac Entragian made it known that he wanted a rematch for the No Limits Title. At DESTINED FOR GREATNESS 2008, Issac Entragian got his rematch and defeated Greyson Blade to become a two-time No Limits Champion.
STRIFE 41 - Damien Black just barely lost to Greyson Blade in a No Limits match,
his first No Limits match in a while
Oppy / Katsuro talked, Oppy got heated, decided to get himself a title shot
SuperCard STRIFE 42 - Issac Entragian vs Kevin Oppenheimer
STRIFE 44 - Damien Black shows up during the four-way involving Issac, drawing him out of the ring
LEGACY X - Issac Entragian defeated Damien Black
Derek Shane was missing
STRIFE 45 - Derek Shane in the boiler room
SuperCard STRIFE 46 - Issac Entragian defeats Derek Shane
Damien Black def Fallen Angel & Mostafa Bashir
Issac asks for another match with Damien Black
Tao of Valor Title
When LEGACY began, TTW Television Champion John Thomas became the LEGACY Television
Champion. In his third title defense in LEGACY, John Thomas lost the belt to Nicholas
Creed. After a couple of brutal matches, including a Falls Count Anywhere victory
over Voodoo and Cronos at Rise of the Elite 3, Creed had established
himself as a fighting champion. The Image and Branding Solution consultants, hired
to help give LEGACY a unique feel and restructure, decided that the notion of
a "Television" title was very out-dated, and so the belt became known
as the Tao of Valor Championship, and new stipulations were added to the belt,
which included a guaranteed World Title shot for a champion who could successfully
defend the belt under four different stipulation matches.
Nicholas Creed was able to hold on to his championship belt all the way up to Advent Empire, where he was set to face Herb Moxley in a Last Man Standing Match. If Creed had won that match, he would have won his fourth stipulation match and would have earned himself a guaranteed shot at the World Title. Herb Moxley came into the match very motivated, and he was able to defeat Creed and take home the belt, though the aftermath of the match caused him to lose the World Tag Team Championships later in that same show. After the event, there was much speculation that tensions were mounting between Moxley and Cassidy due to the reasons behind the Nerds losing the World Tag Team Titles. When it was announced that DJ Cassidy would have the second shot at the Tao of Valor Championship after Advent Empire, the stage was set to determine just how upset Cassidy was at Moxley over the tag title situation. That match would not take place, however, as Dan Stein took it upon himself to attack Cassidy backstage, leaving him a forum to air his grievances to Herb Moxley and then attack him with no one to be there as backup for the champion. A match was then booked for the Philadelphia SuperCard between Dan Stein and Herb Moxley, former friends, and it ended up being an absolute war. When Stein tried to use a chair, DJ Cassidy came out and tried to put a stop to it, but he ended up holding his tag team partner back from using a chair, and in turn accidentally set Moxley up to get taken out by a huge chairshot himself. After levelling both Cassidy and Moxley, Stein became the Tao of Valor Champion by retreiving the belt in the Ultimate X match.
Suspended from the next show for the brutal attack, Stein's first title defense came two shows after winning the belt. After disposing of Gigantus Awesomo, Stein was still in the ring when DJ Cassidy came out and informed Dan that the two would meet at the Brick by Brick pay per view, Cassidy looking for revenge for the injuries Stein caused, putting Moxley on the shelf - possibly permanently. After letting him know about their date with destiny, Cassidy ran down to the ring and a brawl ensued, needing LEGACY officials to break it up. At the show prior to the pay per view, the two met as part of a six-man tag match in the main event which saw DJ Cassidy get the pinfall victory over Stein to end the match. It was then announced that the Tao of Valor match at the pay per view would be under Last Man Standing rules. During their match at Brick by Brick, both men did everything they could, but in the end DJ Cassidy was the man who was unable to answer the 10-count after multiple enzuigiris, and Dan Stein was able to retain his championship belt. We found out after the match that the enzuigiris from Stein caused DJ Cassidy to sustain a concussion which might very well cause the Brick by Brick match to be the last of his career.
Dan Stein continued to defend the the Tao of Valor Championship up until the Jacksonville SuperCard. During his match against Strong Style Dragon, Dan Stein was blindsided by Loco Martinez in a move that directly lead to Strong Style Dragon picking up the victory and becoming champion. Some people think that Strong Style Dragon was in the right place at the right time, but many people who saw Strong Style Dragon's matches leading up to the SuperCard believe that it was only a matter of time before Dragon won a championship belt, one way or another.
In his second defense of the Tao of Valor Championship, Strong Style Dragon stepped into the ring with rising new-comer Ron Bailey who had been on an impressive streak of victories. Ron Bailey thought he had the match won, but Dragon was able to score the pinfall victory while in a submission hold, and this enraged Ron Bailey, and he refused to let go of the submission hold. Frustrated, Ron Bailey asked for a rematch to take place at CALL TO ARMS, and the front office granted his wish, knowing that Strong Style Dragon would want a chance at redemption. At Dragon's request, the match was made a Submissions Match, and in the end, Ron Bailey was forced to submit, allowing Dragon to retain the belt. Before Ron Bailey could make a post-match attack, Strong Style Dragon had left the ring and headed back to his locker room.
At STRIFE 24 X-Calibur was given his first title shot in LEGACY, and the ending of the 30 Minute Iron Man Match saw him get some unwanted help from Ron Bailey which unbeknownst to X-Calibur helped set up the final move of the night. On the following show, Ron Bailey explained the two reasons that he helped X-Calibur pick up the victory over Strong Style Dragon. The first was because the betting payout was better for Bailey if X-Calibur won the match and the title, the second reason being because he wanted to ensure X-Calibur was mad enough to agree to a three-way match at DESTINED FOR GREATNESS, which was granted. In what is being considered one of the absolute best matches in the best decade, X-Calibur retained the Tao of Valor Championship. After the match, Ron Bailey ripped off the mask of Strong Style Dragon, revealing him to be Cade Sydal.
When X-Calibur tried to talk to Cade Sydal backstage on STRIFE 26, a physical altercation occurred between a moderately impatient X-Calibur and the man Cade Sydal was talking to at the time, Dan Stein, who didn't want to be interrupted. To deal with tensions as soon as possible, Stein was given a shot at the Tao of Valor Championship, his first shot at the title since losing the belt to "Strong Style Dragon" Cade Sydal. In an Ultimate X Match on SuperCard STRIFE 27, X-Calibur was able to retain the Tao of Valor Championship, getting his second token. Right after a brutal match where X-Calibur successfully defended the Tao of Valor title against Greg Allocca, John Thomas came down to the ring and said he was willing to give X-Calibur a rematch against him that X had been asking for to avenge what X considered a "fluky" win which happened at the pay per view prior to X-Calibur winning the Tao of Valor championship. After X-Calibur agreed to a Last Man Standing Match, John Thomas hit his sick falling reverse neckbreaker, showing X-Calibur and the fans what move he will probably try to use to keep X-Calibur down on his back.
In what has been described as an epic match, Elevated Tensions saw John Thomas and X-Calibur battle for what seemed like an eternity. On more than one occasion it looked as though John Thomas was going to be able to become the new Tao of Valor Champion, but with an X-Terminator from the top rope, X-Calibur found a way to keep John Thomas on the mat for the ten count, retaining his championship belt.
Calling in a few favors, Big Lou bought James Win an opportunity to fight for the Tao of Valor championship at STRIFE 30, but the match just turned out to be an elaborate set-up, because James Win purposefully got himself disqualified by the use of a chair. Doing exactly what the Diabolik expected, X-Calibur challenged James Win to a rematch for SuperCard STRIFE 31, which would be for the fourth Tao of Valor token. In a hard-fought match in which James Win was much more competitive than a lot of people thought he would be, X-Calibur was able to win the match, earning himself the final token of the four-piece set which he can trade in to guarantee himself a World Title shot. Earlier in the show, Eli Storm defeated Greyson Blade, guaranteeing him a shot at the Tao of Valor Title at the upcoming pay per view.
Having been given a a couple shows off to rest his injuries, Justin Moreno made his return to in-ring action at STRIFE 32 in a Tao of Valor title match against X-Calibur, and in a match that some people are already considering a strong contender for Match of the Year, Justin Moreno got his first ever taste of singles championship gold as he was able to defeat X-Calibur and take home the Tao of Valor Championship. At the FORGED BY FIRE Pre-Show, Eli Storm failed an attempt to attack Greyson Blade and got injured in the process, so Eli Storm was replaced in the submission match against Justin Moreno by Ron Bailey. In their match at FORGED BY FIRE, Ron Bailey got Justin Moreno to submit, giving Bailey the Tao of Valor, his first taste of LEGACY championship gold.
The front office decided that each singles champion participating in the 2008 Hawkins Memorial Tournament would have to defend his belt in any matches he advanced to, so for Ron Bailey that meant defending the belt against Adam Davis at STRIFE 34. It was a brutal match, but due to Derek Shane's involvement, Ron Bailey was able to pin an imposter who looked like Adam Davis while The Iceman was detained underneath the ring.
Advancing to the second round, Ron Bailey's luck seemed to run up as he faced John Iley, who picked up the victory over Bailey at STRIFE 35 and took the Tao of Valor Championship with him.
In John Iley's first defense of the title, he matched up against Stephen Rawlings, who found an opportunity to be golden when the referee got knocked out. With the help of a steel chair, Stephen Rawlings injured John Iley's neck. Even with the injury, John Iley still fought as hard as he could, but his neck wouldn't hold up as he went for the Tyne Bridge Northern Lights Suplex, and the victory came easy for Stephen Rawlings at that point, picking up the Tao of Valor Championship at STRIFE 36 as he advanced to the Hawkins Memorial Tournament Finals.
At GLIMMER OF HOPE, Stephen Rawlings met X-Calibur with high stakes on the line - the 2008 Hawkins Memorial Tournament, the Tao of Valor Championship, and the final entrance spot into the Co-Op Challenge. X-Calibur won the match, but the celebration was cut short as Stephen Rawlings noted a clause he had added to the contract for the match which stated the Tao of Valor Championship would only change hands on submission, which allowed him to keep the belt.
On STRIFE 37, Stephen Rawlings defended the Tao of Valor Championship successfully in a three-way match which included Mirage and Katsuro Yoshida. At SuperCard STRIFE 38, Justin Moreno got a rematch for the Tao of Valor Championship in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match, which he ended up winning two falls to one, bringing home the title belt. Due to the wear-and-tear of a tough schedule, Justin Moreno was given the night off for STRIFE 39, but Ron Bailey and Adam Davis squared off in a match that most people thought would reward the winner with a Tao of Valor Championship match at the pay per view, a match which Adam Davis won. Later in the show, LEGACY Owner Rob Belote showed up and said that Derek Shane would be getting the title match at the pay per view.
After Justin Moreno defended the Tao of Valor Championship against James Win at STRIFE 40, he found out from the REAL Rob Belote that the man who tried to book a pay per view match was an imposter. In trying to help make the determination easier, Justin Moreno offered to defend the Tao of Valor Championship against Stephen Rawlings (who had been begging for a rematch), Derek Shane (who had been partially linked to the Rob Belote imposter), and Adam Davis (who won the match at the the previous show). A moment later, the match was booked, and it was announced that all four competitors would compete in an Ultimate X Match. As DESTINED FOR GREATNESS 2008 came and went, we saw an Ultimate X Match which has been called the best in LEGACY history, and Adam Davis came through and won the first championship belt of his LEGACY tenure.
[still need stuff for here]
STRIFE 41 - Adam Davis def Tim Jones (chair stuff)
SuperCard STRIFE 42 - Davis def Eli Storm
STRIFE 44 - Adam Davis def John Thomas
LEGACY X - Devastation (2) def Adam Davis (1)
It was around this time that a rivalry was rekindled between the Tao of Valor champion Adam Davis and a former nemesis in Outlaw Pro Wrestling, Devastation. This eventually culminated in a 30-minute Iron Man match for the championship at the pay-per-view LEGACY X, which Devastation won.
Devastation’s first title defense would come at Strife 45 against a former partner from Outlaw Pro Wrestling in Matthew Dawson. The match went back and forth between the two athletes before Cronos Diamante came down to the ring and interfered. Following a hard slap from Diamante, Matthew Dawson was on the receiving end of a Decapitator and Devastation had defended his championship for the first time. However, the heated rivalry between these two foes was far from over.
The Tao of Valor title was next defended at SuperCard Strife 46 in an Ultimate X match. This match pitted Devastation against longtime rival Stephen Rawlings. After a dazzling match between the two gifted athletes, it was Cronos Diamante interfering once more in a Devastation title defense and cutting down the cables with an axe making the title belt drop to the canvas. Devastation was the first to pounce on it and thus, defended his title a second time.
The next time Devastation would put the Tao of Valor title on the line would be January 15 at Strife 47. Kumquat Kid would be the challenger. He was fresh off two impressive victories over John Thomas and Adam Davis but Devastation would stop the streak with a Decapitator and a third title defense.
[need something here regarding how the Dawson / Dev match at 11th hour was set up]
At Eleventh Hour, it was another title defense for Devastation as he stepped
into the ring against bitter rival Matthew Dawson in a Last Man Standing Match.
This was the second time Devastation defended the gold against Dawson but this
time it would not go like the first as Matt resorted to repeated low blows to
win his first championship in LEGACY.