Well, friends, I just got back to XHW HQ after the weekend in Miami, and I have no qualms in saying that this X-Fest weekend will go down as one of the moments that's defined the year when we look back on it come awards season. We saw the vicious turn of Alexis Wilde on Johnny Sniper, Fixx's last match (and winning!), and Jakk Levy getting back to the top of the mountain in what had to be one of the most emotional nights in that young man's life. All that was capped off though by an eventful afternoon at the second annual XHW draft, the biggest surprised saved for last. I followed it all back in the reporters' war room, and here are my initial observations after the chaos that ensued.
GENERAL MANAGERS DRAFTED!
This had to easily be the biggest surprise of the event by far. Even Walker and Price both had this shocked, almost horrified expression on their faces when they realized they had drawn each others' names. Now I've spoken with corporate and the board, and they've confirmed that they were the ones to include this little surprise, and that it is very, very real. Ethan Price will be the General Manager for Warzone, and Lucy Walker will be the General Manager for Anarchy. Without going into everything that this translates to for the shows, let's hit the big concepts:
- Walker inherits a stacked roster as picked by Price
- Anarchy could very well take over as the top show, and Price won't be given the credit
- There could be a power struggle if Hendrix chooses to try and bully Price over moving to Anarchy to be with his wife
- Price is now in charge of the "flagship" program for the XHW, while Lucy inherits what she has regularly called the "b-show" for years
This promises to be interesting.
WRESTLERS CHANGING SHOWS
Last year saw both Asylum losing his Bronx Championship and King CHAVO losing the Anarchy Championship through their drafting to Warzone, both men changing shows. This year, however, all four brand-specific champions staying put, leaving the champion leadership on both brands intact. However, there were some notable roster swaps. Here's the full list of those that changed shows:
To Warzone
Dante West
Turbine
sIMON
Agent Orange
Randy Orton
Colt Windham
Roxas
Dirk Diver
Jael
Yosi Hait
To Anarchy
Mike Hoss
Mr. Jingles
Joel Dekker
Blake Lewis
Dakota Burrows
Morgan Garcia
Duane Ellis
Alonzo Childs
Shark Boy
Johnny Diamond
Vincent Hubbard
Kannon-K
The big interest, I think, will lie with sIMON and Dante West staying together, and both moving to the same brand with current West Coast Champion, Aaron Kay. After what transpired at the end of the West-Kay match at X-Fest, I can only imagine the animosity that's going to exist between those three.
TAG TEAMS STAY TOGETHER
One rather amazing twist in all this is how much things stayed the same. None of the tag teams within the company were split, something that's confounding considering how many we have these days. Take a look.
Warzone Teams
Los Banditos - Diego Cortez and Guillermo "Crazyhorse" Morales
One Way Street - Asylum and Rob Gunn
Destiny - Randy Orton and Colt Windham
La Famila Real - Doug Bean, the Arnold Classic, Bobby Lashley
The Adams - Jay Adams and Koby Adams
Anarchy Teams
Stars and Straps - Alonzo Childs and Duane Ellis
Rulers of the Ring - Derek "the King" Redmond and "Deluxe" Freddy Flux
Sons of Anarchy - (champions) North Starr, Silus Ravenwood, and TITAN
DIVISIONAL POWER
With the shake-up, we get to see some big names facing off in the upper tier of the different brands. Take a look at Warzone's new West Coast line-up and Anarchy's new East Coast stack (divisions based on bank account, not all wrestlers are committed to divisions):
West Coast Division
Aaron Kay (champion)
Koby Adams
Jay Adams
Dante West
sIMON
Diego Cortez
Asylum
Rob Gunn
J.T. Cash
Leon Washington
Johnny Sniper
East Coast Division
Wesley Burns (champion)
Mike Hoss
The Japanese Seaman
Giovanni Valentino
Dakota Burrows
Malibu
Johnny Diamond
Demetrius "the Scourge" Angel
Mr. Jingles
Shark Boy
Vincent Hubbard
Both of these divisions are absolutely loaded if all eligible participants decide they want in. This doesn't even include those who are just starting out who have had a great deal of success and amassed the funds necessary to make the jump (Agent Orange, Blake Lewis, Randy Orton, Josephy McCarthy), or those that are expected to stay in the hunt for the title in lower divisions (Jake Nelson, Rayzor, Doug Bean). Regardless, both shows are very well staffed at the top of their respective brands, and should be very interesting to watch in the coming months as things shake out.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Looking down the road, there are many superstars on both brands who haven't had the chance to compete against each other on a regular basis before. Below are some of the angles that I know I'll be keeping an eye on as the new rosters take shape.
Aaron Kay, Dante West, and sIMON - Everyone saw what went down at X-Fest between West and Kay, but what many didn't see was the confrontation backstage between sIMON and Kay later on. This has the potential to get very, very, ugly. None of this even addresses the fact that Cordelia Murphy ended up on Warzone as well, and as we all saw, she is back, in much better shape, and looking for vengeance.
Former Undisputed Champions - Anarchy is full of them. TJS, Hoss, and Valentino all share a division, and no doubt one or a couple of them will get a shot at Jakk Levy come the first PPV after X-Fest. Lucy Walker has to be pleased with the starpower drawn for her by Ethan Price.
Sniper and Wilde - Both Johnny Sniper and Alexis Wilde ended up on Warzone again after the draft, and from what I'm hearing out of the Sniper camp, he's not going to take what happened at X-Fest lying down. Much of what happens may be contingent on where Hendrix Walker decides to spend his working hours, but I can tell you that this situation is far from over.
Women's Division Dominance - While Sniper is looking for revenge, Alexis Wilde is part of a large contingent of Warzone women looking to take over that top spot in the Women's Championship division. With Cordelia Murphy, Wilde, Scarlett Willis, Awesome Kong, and others, Warzone has the bulk of the recent contenders for the Women's Championship. Anarchy features Dakota Burrows, Morgan Garcia, and a woman who's recently expressed aspirations for the belt, Spyra. With Fixx stepping down for good, the all-out brawl for dominance will be a storyline to watch for in the coming weeks and months.
Anarchy Rules! - Jake Nelson lost his Anarchy Rules Championship at X-Fest to Jordan Duke, but with the entirety of the top of the division returning to Saturday nights (Duke, Nelson, Rayzor), the battle for the namesake belt could just be heating up. I'd expect to see an interesting twist on this whole situation now that Jake Nelson's manager, Claire Logan, has her sister in charge. Heads up, Duke.
Next X-Core Contender? - With Daniel Bean's victory over his brother at X-Fest, we've now seen him atop the X-Core division since Superbrawl III! (surprised?) After the draft, we're likely to see a new contingent of contenders come to the forefront. It's unlikely that you'll see Agent Orange make a push since he's already made a claim toward the new Pride Champion, Joel Dekker, but others like Randy Orton, Matt Sterling, or perhaps another LFR member, Bobby Lashley, could step up to the plate.
The Future of Jay Adams - Even with all my sources and connections, I'm having an almost impossible time getting to the bottom of what's happening with Jay Adams. Rumors have been flying that he was actually in Miami this weekend (I don't buy it), some that it's all just an act (a horrible thing to say, in my opinion), and some that he has no interest in returning whatsoever (hard to believe). Regardless, nothing has been confirmed, all parties close to Jay are keeping their mouths shut, and the entire situation is up in the air. The facts do remain, however, that Fixx has now retired, Koby and Jay were both drafted to Warzone, and another connected party to the whole saga, Morgan Garcia, has been shipped to Anarchy. It all shapes up to be one of the most intriguing stories for all XHW fans, and I'll try to get as much information as I can without being obnoxiously intrusive to the family. With an issue as sensitive as this, that's all you can ask for.
I hope that you've enjoyed our draft special, fans. I'm looking forward to what's to come from both brands just as much as you are, and I anticipate that the best is yet to come. Take care, and as always, thanks for indulging me.
- X
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Power 15!
Welcome, ladies and gents, to this edition of the XHW's POWER 15. My goal is to bring you this publication bi-weekly in an effort to most clearly identify the power players in Xtreme Hardcore Wrestling. This isn't like the NFL or the NBA where a wrestler's record will decide their standing. In the XHW, it's all about momentum, titles, and big wins. This is who's riding highest in those categories, and more. Feel free to disagree, and make your voices heard!
1. Giovanni Valentino (Undisputed Champion) - It's hard to argue with putting the man at the top of the mountain in the top spot. Giovanni's been working his way torward the Undisputed Championship for quite some time, and even though he may have reached that point with some controversial refereeing, he's there.
2. Jay Adams (West Coast Champion) - This was a close call betweeen numbers 2 and 3, but Adams gets the nod here because he more or less had the top two titles on Warzone sewn up at All or Nothing, only to see his feud with his cousin, Koby, come back to bite him, along with his "in-ring adjustments" that seemed to hold him back.
3. J.T. Cash (X-Core Champion, All or Nothing Battle Royal winner) - Has there ever been a more successful night for one man in recent history? Cash vaulted toward the top of the rankings after a great night at All or Nothing, and could be poised here for a while if he keeps it up.
4. Johnny Sniper - The X-Core Kid walked out of All or Nothing with the latter, but showed that he belongs on the big stage. Time after time, Sniper's been counted out, but he's always managed to rise up in the end.
5. Dakota Burrows (Pride Champion) - After surviving for as long as she did against Hannibal Cage and in the battle royal, Dakota Burrows has earned her spot on the POWER 15.
6. Turbine (East Coast Champion) - After a couple successful title defenses against Doc Hammer (not by the most ethical means, mind you), Turbine is still shocking the world as the smallest man in the federation standing atop the most brutal brand in wrestling.
7. Dante West - He may not have officially won the match against Starr and Spriggs at All or Nothing, but Dante West certainly showed that he has the resolve to maintain his place near the top of the federation. Couple this with a strong showing the battle royal, and Dante is in the top 10.
8. Reno Drake - Time has shown that Drake did not in fact get the victory to retire Triple Syxx, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most powerful men on Anarchy. I for one wouldn't want to step into the ring with the Silent Assassin, especially now that the biggest win of his career has been taken away due to his own actions.
9. FiXX (Undispted Women's Champion) - The Queen comes in at number 9 after regaining the Undisputed Women's Championship at All or Nothing. Her return has been nothing short of amazing considering she gave birth to twins less than a year ago.
10. Wesley Burns (Anarchy Rules and Tornado Champion) - Rounding out the top 10, Burns has physically and brutally taken his spot alongside the rest of the big names in the company after weeks and weeks of title defenses. Couple that with his survival against the Sons of Anarchy, and it's hard to deny him this place.
11. Aaron Kay - Some may argue with Kay's place on this list, but let me explain. He's been held back and abused by General Manager Lucy Walker, and then forced to team with the maniac, Alex Homme, by his former General Manager, Ethan Price. Despite all that, he's thriving in almost every match he's in, and sent a clear message to Homme and the rest of the roster at All or Nothing that he's on the prowl.
12. Jake Nelson - It's hard to think of anyone else on the roster that's been winning as consistently as Jake Nelson recently. And since this list is about power, all you have to do is take a look at what Nelson has done to Seth Saint, and you can't deny that he's wielding some serious sway right now.
13. sIMON (Tornado Champion) - After a lengthy absence imposed on him by the Sons of Anarchy, the leader of the True Way has returned with a vengeance. Not only did he orchestrate the joining of Vincent Hubbard and Mr. Jingles with the True Way, and their rescue of Wesley Burns at All or Nothing, but he returned to action himself with a decisive victory against Doc Hammer last week on Anarchy.
14. Johnny Diamond - Diamond suffered a rather disappointing loss in the Battle Royal at All or Nothing, hoping to be the first two-time winner of the match, but he's been on a roll as of late. Not too long ago, he took Giovanni Valentino to the limit in their West Coast Championship match, and he did last quite a while in the Battle Royal. Determined to get back in the title hunt, Diamond could see his stock rise soon.
15. North Starr - Remember, it's not all about wins and losses. Starr may have gotten the victory at All or Nothing over Dante West, but he certainly got a lesson in what happens when his "mind games" backfire. Regardless, the Sons of Anarchy have been imposing their will up until All or Nothing, and I'd expect some retaliation against the rest of the federation soon.
Rising Stars: Leon Washington, Hannibal Cage, Silus Ravenwood
1. Giovanni Valentino (Undisputed Champion) - It's hard to argue with putting the man at the top of the mountain in the top spot. Giovanni's been working his way torward the Undisputed Championship for quite some time, and even though he may have reached that point with some controversial refereeing, he's there.
2. Jay Adams (West Coast Champion) - This was a close call betweeen numbers 2 and 3, but Adams gets the nod here because he more or less had the top two titles on Warzone sewn up at All or Nothing, only to see his feud with his cousin, Koby, come back to bite him, along with his "in-ring adjustments" that seemed to hold him back.
3. J.T. Cash (X-Core Champion, All or Nothing Battle Royal winner) - Has there ever been a more successful night for one man in recent history? Cash vaulted toward the top of the rankings after a great night at All or Nothing, and could be poised here for a while if he keeps it up.
4. Johnny Sniper - The X-Core Kid walked out of All or Nothing with the latter, but showed that he belongs on the big stage. Time after time, Sniper's been counted out, but he's always managed to rise up in the end.
5. Dakota Burrows (Pride Champion) - After surviving for as long as she did against Hannibal Cage and in the battle royal, Dakota Burrows has earned her spot on the POWER 15.
6. Turbine (East Coast Champion) - After a couple successful title defenses against Doc Hammer (not by the most ethical means, mind you), Turbine is still shocking the world as the smallest man in the federation standing atop the most brutal brand in wrestling.
7. Dante West - He may not have officially won the match against Starr and Spriggs at All or Nothing, but Dante West certainly showed that he has the resolve to maintain his place near the top of the federation. Couple this with a strong showing the battle royal, and Dante is in the top 10.
8. Reno Drake - Time has shown that Drake did not in fact get the victory to retire Triple Syxx, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most powerful men on Anarchy. I for one wouldn't want to step into the ring with the Silent Assassin, especially now that the biggest win of his career has been taken away due to his own actions.
9. FiXX (Undispted Women's Champion) - The Queen comes in at number 9 after regaining the Undisputed Women's Championship at All or Nothing. Her return has been nothing short of amazing considering she gave birth to twins less than a year ago.
10. Wesley Burns (Anarchy Rules and Tornado Champion) - Rounding out the top 10, Burns has physically and brutally taken his spot alongside the rest of the big names in the company after weeks and weeks of title defenses. Couple that with his survival against the Sons of Anarchy, and it's hard to deny him this place.
11. Aaron Kay - Some may argue with Kay's place on this list, but let me explain. He's been held back and abused by General Manager Lucy Walker, and then forced to team with the maniac, Alex Homme, by his former General Manager, Ethan Price. Despite all that, he's thriving in almost every match he's in, and sent a clear message to Homme and the rest of the roster at All or Nothing that he's on the prowl.
12. Jake Nelson - It's hard to think of anyone else on the roster that's been winning as consistently as Jake Nelson recently. And since this list is about power, all you have to do is take a look at what Nelson has done to Seth Saint, and you can't deny that he's wielding some serious sway right now.
13. sIMON (Tornado Champion) - After a lengthy absence imposed on him by the Sons of Anarchy, the leader of the True Way has returned with a vengeance. Not only did he orchestrate the joining of Vincent Hubbard and Mr. Jingles with the True Way, and their rescue of Wesley Burns at All or Nothing, but he returned to action himself with a decisive victory against Doc Hammer last week on Anarchy.
14. Johnny Diamond - Diamond suffered a rather disappointing loss in the Battle Royal at All or Nothing, hoping to be the first two-time winner of the match, but he's been on a roll as of late. Not too long ago, he took Giovanni Valentino to the limit in their West Coast Championship match, and he did last quite a while in the Battle Royal. Determined to get back in the title hunt, Diamond could see his stock rise soon.
15. North Starr - Remember, it's not all about wins and losses. Starr may have gotten the victory at All or Nothing over Dante West, but he certainly got a lesson in what happens when his "mind games" backfire. Regardless, the Sons of Anarchy have been imposing their will up until All or Nothing, and I'd expect some retaliation against the rest of the federation soon.
Rising Stars: Leon Washington, Hannibal Cage, Silus Ravenwood
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A Right Mess...
Welcome back to "Indulging Synn," guys and gals. I'll apologize right out of the gate for the delay between posts; it's been an unusually busy week for the X-Man, and I'll elaborate a little more on that later on. With all that said, let's get to the results.
Last week's Anarchy was a mess, a right mess... The whole night started out with Jada, of all people, accepting the open challenge put out by Cordelia Murphy at the previous Warzone. Immediately after this, we saw Jimm Red's former manager and family friend, Leon Lees, approaching Joseph Woods with a management offer, only to receive a pretty negative reaction from the cowboy.
In the first match of the night, we saw two newcomers square off as Seraphim took out the controversial Ironclad. Neither one of these guys are really helping the "freak" tag on Anarchy these days. Without much of a break afterwards, the DDT-Joseph Woods match took place with Woods getting the better of the new rookie.
And then it was time for the... "anarchy," for lack of a better word, to start. In the bout between Jezter and (FINALLY) the Arnold Classic, the clown ended up biting the Arnold in the face, as well as spewing green mist in his eyes before hitting his finisher and getting the win. It didn't end there, however, as Jezter took it upon himself to send a message to Tiger Komaru, the man he's been bickering with backstage, taking a chair to the Arnold's leg and effectively ending his fledgling XHW career on the spot. No one deserves that kind of... fate.
Continuing the chaos, we got a nice little visit from North Starr to remind the world that, even though he lost to Asylum at Superbrawl II, he is still the King of Mind Games. His proof? The Anarchy Championship. Starr has seemingly stolen the belt from Doc Hammer, and the "Ironman" wasn't too happy about it, charging the ring and leveling the Cobra Commander before getting taken out by a chair swung by Starr himself. Could this be the beginnings of something a little more... official?
In a rather lackluster debut for Taz, and a surprisingly strong showing from Cleaven "The Chance" Audrey, the Chance managing to pull out a victory over the former ECW Champion. It looks like the veteran may have bit off a little more than he can chew here in the XHW.
The mess continued as we got a rather ambiguous message on the MegaTron. With fireworks going off and gold sparks coming from the stage, the words, "The Past and Present Will Collide, History Will be Relived," came onto the screen. I think that's probably as mysterious as you'll get, even for us.
What exactly is the motivation for Diego Cortez challenging Johnny Diamond? My colleague Mark Matthews had that same question in mind when he approached the Spaniard at Anarchy. The answer? He's sick of hearing Diamond whine about wanting another shot at the Undisputed Championship, he wants retribution for the Japanese Seaman, and, most importantly, he wants to put on a show for the Stomping Grounds crowd.
After that, we got a special visit from Warzone star, J.T. Cash. Why? Well, Cash wanted to remind the world, as he so eloquently does, that he's the man to beat in the DTTT, and also to send a personal message to Next Generation teammate Jimm Red, explicitly expressed that Red won't ever get the title until Cash is through with it. Bold words...
Who would have thought that either Wesley Burns or sIMON could get any more... bizarre? Well, they have, and now they are apparently teaming together. After North Starr and sIMON were defeated by the team of Shark Boy and Burns at Anarchy, Wesley, in his typically fashion, seemed to get more and more frustrated throughout the match. Afterwards, he was coerced into attacking both North Starr and Shark Boy, sending a vicious message in the process. It wasn't a fireball, but I think the moment will still be controversial enough to earn another reprimand from management for the Burninator.
Kurt Angle is a little furious about how he was choked out by Taz at Xtreme All Access. He let the entire Stomping Grounds crowd know it as he came out to let the world know he's gunning for a submission match sometime soon to send a message to his former rival. Later in the night, Victor Mason let Angle know that he's not through with him either, although Mason seems to be constantly distracted by whatever that music every time he comes out.
Do we finally have a new contender for Excessive Force? It very well may be the Adams siblings: Koby and Frankie. The newly paired duo dispatched of the Sheglins rather effortlessly on Saturday, earning a victory and perhaps moving a little closer to a shot at the big time.
Doc Hammer took care of business, even if he didn't have his belt in hand. Asylum went down to the Ironman, and the chaos didn't end there as Johnny Blade and even the newly arriving "King CHAVO" (who I found out about a couple weeks ago) both staked their claim to the lowest crown in the federation. It likes like the Anarchy title will live up to its name.
Aaron Kay is back, and this time he's being managed by the sultry Morgan Ripley. She got a few words in with my colleague Mark Mathews Saturday night as she let him know that Kay is not to be trifled with. Other than that, she didn't really have much to say aside from the fact that she's not the one who bailed him out of prison. That remains a mystery...
Whatever happened to Dirk Diver? The Baron was manhandled by Reno Drake as the Silent Assassin was out to send a message to Mr. Jingles, defeated Dirk to claim the number one contendership to the Bronx Championship. After it was all over with, Jingles and the Nameless One sent a message of their own, delivering a barrage of clowns to the ring and playing a little head games by displaying a "familiar" bra to Drake. Reno managed to fend off most of the clowns, but eventually got overwhelmed, and then realized that Jingles was in the mix the entire time! This one is just beginning, and I can't say who exactly has the upper hand here...
Finally it was time for the main event as BlkOut and Maverick Harley finally faced off in their "Falls Count Anywhere" match. This all came about after BlkOut started his XHW career by attacking Mav repeatedly and eventually taking it to Mav's love interest, Roxas Knoxx, in the middle of the ring at Xtreme All Access. The match had almost everything, including interference from the rest of Project 242. Both men got their licks in, and both took a severe beating, but in the end it was BlkOut delivering the Curb Stomp onto a stack of chairs for the victory. Alas, the show was over.
And then there was Warzone. While there wasn't as much bedlam as there was on Anarchy, the show certainly gave us some indication of what's the come in the weeks leading up to Barely Legal...
One such match that looks like it might be taking shape is Mike Hoss versus the returned Alex Homme. Warzone's opener saw Hoss coming out to call out the Hardkore Icon and remind him that he's no pushover either. He challenged Homme to a match at Barely Legal where the fans would get to choose the stipulation. Even further, he challenged Homme to reveal exactly where he's been all this time, a question that many of us have been asking. Now, we wait and see...
It was a trio of women's matches to open the show's fighting. In the first, Casey Dodge and O.D.B. both couldn't make it to their match against Audree Gates and Roxas Knoxx, effectively forfeiting. Second, Grace Rourke became the first to put a dent in Talia Arroyo's record, showing the newcomer how the big girls play. And then, it was FiXX reestablishing her dominance by putting down Women's Championship hopeful Tyler Kiss with her new finishing maneuver. In the last and final women's match of the night, however, it was the champion herself, Cordelia Murphy, taking on her "open challenger" Jada, where if the challenger won she would get a shot at the belt. In the end, though, Murphy was too much too soon for the Academy student, getting the win. Later in the week, Murphy would issue the same challenge for the following Warzone to whomever wished to answer (Grace Rourke took the opportunity soon after).
Giovanni Valentino's arrogance knows no bounds. He brought out Universal Champion Eddie Rourke only to berate his fashion sense yet again with that sport coat. However, this time, Rourke would have none of it, tearing the coat and hitting Valentino with a Cutt Off for his troubles. Later in the night, however, Valentino moved a step closer to Rourke with a victory over former Universal Champion, Turbine. With a few more wins over division opponents, we could be seeing this match at Barely Legal as well...
Lucy Walker is back in blonde, and back in the XHW as she made an appearance at Warzone. She immediately asserted her authority, laying off Chris Crawford, Luke Cage, Bastian Bux, and Rhett Wildman, as well as announcing that she'll appear on Anarchy to announce a hiring, and letting the rest of the federation know that all "special" matches will have to go through her (i.e., Draven Torette and Jay Adam's recent endeavors). So much for the Claire Logan era!
It was a hotly anticipated match as Johnny Diamond and Reinhardt faced off this week. The two had never met before, and the match certainly lived up to the hype. Halfway through, we even got an appearance from Diego Cortez, distracting Diamond a bit, but not quite enough as the NextGen member picked up the victory. Afterwards, however, the Spaniard reminded Diamond about their main event match on Anarchy, not willing to be ignored.
For those looking forward to the Jakk Levy-Jay Adams face off, you were sorely disappointed on Wednesday. As anticipated, Jakk wasn't quite ready to return from injury, but that didn't stop Adams from declaring himself the victor in their match, as well as claiming victories over both Shaun and (despicably) Scott Levy after challenging both of them to a match. That's our Undisputed Champion, folks, a real class act. Before leaving, however, he did state that at least five XHW employees would be in the Jay Adams Invitational, leaving the rest to mystery. I can only imagine...
Eventually it was time for the heavily anticipated "Draven Torette Tribute Tournament," a match that saw all the contenders from the X-Core division squaring off in a battle royal where the last five remaining men move on to the next round. Earlier in the night, Jimm red let his intentions be known as the former number one contender, effectively ignored by Torette in the fashioning of the DTTT. Red did prove his mettle as he lasted to the final two, but was eliminated by the surprise winner of the match, Aston Michaels! The other three to move on included the other two members of the Next Generation that were in the match, J.T. Cash and Mike Hoss, as well as Johnny Sniper. Afterwards, Draven Torette announced that round 2 will be a ladder match where four briefcases, only three of which containing advancement opportunities, will be fought for. I have to hand it to him, this is exciting to watch!
Let's get to the backstage news as I'm sure you're all chomping at the bit to see what's been going down...
Riley DeSantos is certainly back in full swing. After run-ins with several XHW superstars since her return (including 1 with Koby Adams), it was inevitable that she'd bump into the also-returned Aaron Kay, her former fiance and father of her child, Lucas. It was an animosity-filled meeting from her side to say the least. Kay also had a little spat with Dakota Burrows about the whole "prison" situation, as well as running into FiXX in a workout room.
A little something interesting for all of you, this note was posted on XHW.com claiming a "Battle of New York" in June 2008. Let the rumor mill begin!
She may want a piece of the action, but Awesome Kong is going to have to fight her way into the X-Core division, and Diego Cortez reminded her of that in this little conversation that took an interesting turn. Kong also took her argument right to the man himself, Draven Torette, trying to get in his ear.
Looking for a new diva crush? Maybe Alyssa Cruise is your flavor. She and Koby Adams met backstage in the gym, having a brief conversation.
At the very least her career has hit a snag, and at the most it's likely over with: O.D.B. has been checked into rehab, and will most likely be there for quite some time...
The interesting relationship between BlkOut and Claire Logan plods on. After talking about championship gold and what's next on their plate, the two had a bit more to say, as well as having another interaction later in the week with even more tension. In other "relationship" news, Tyler Kiss and Mike Hoss aren't going anywhere, and neither are Frankie Adams and Morgan Garcia (woo!).
After being attacked by Scott Walker in his match against Daman Arress a couple weeks ago, Johnny Sniper took his argument to Walker himself, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
Two fresh faces met each other backstage as Morgan Ripley and Wade Harvey bumped into each other. Harvey seemed to know all about Ms. Ripley, while the manager required an actual introduction, understandably. Ripley also ran into J.T. Cash, delivering more insults than information, seemingly belittling Cash in her subtle way at every turn. I'll admit... I enjoyed it!
Could business and personal lives collide? That might be the case with Dakota Burrows and Giovanni Valentino. With Gio gunning for the Universal Championship and Dakota in the same division, this could get interesting. They had a chat recently to squash that little sidebet.
Could FiXX be the reason that Frankie Adams left the Dogtown Raiders? That was the accusation that started this conversation between the Queen and the Shining Light.
With strife within the Next Generation ranks and the apparent dissolution of the Dogtown Raideres, Project 242 seems like the only viable faction left in the XHW. The group had a meeting recently to discuss their future, and, not surprisingly, gold is a big part of the discussion.
It's hard to see Jakk Levy as a father considering his age, but that's going to be the case here in a few months. He and his lady, Jasmine, talked baby, houses, and wrestling in a rare family moment caught by cameras.
Jezter and Asylum... friends? That was the rumor going around before Anarchy this week, and the cameras DID manage to catch their conversation. Apparently, Asylum is quite the popular figure recently, as he even managed to get a few words in with Dakota Burrows, giving... life advice?
This thing is getting darker and darker the longer it going on. Reno Drake and Mr. Jingles will square off at some point for the Bronx Championship, but will there be special stipulations when they do? That's what the Nameless One is proposing...
He may be gone, but he's not out... At least that's what Ben Hampton is hoping for the former Undisputed Champion, the Japanese Seaman. The 2007 XHW Manager of the Year was found lobbying for his guy with Lucy Walker recently, but with the renewed anger, it didn't look like Walker was apt to comply...
Back from the dead, and some people are a little upset about not getting the memo beforehand. That was the situation when Alex Homme approached Cordelia Murphy backstage, although she eventually warmed up.
That's all I've got for this week, folks. Due to this late posting, I won't go over the cards for last night's Anarchy and the upcoming Warzone. In an actually related piece of news, the task of keeping up with all of the backstage goings-on as well as the recapping of the weekly shows will fall to my work associate, Mr. Mark Mathews, in his new segment entitled, "Basic Mathews-matics." Yes, friends, I'm actually going to be away for a few weeks on a much needed vacation, but rest assured that I will be back! Until next time... thanks for indulging me!
Last week's Anarchy was a mess, a right mess... The whole night started out with Jada, of all people, accepting the open challenge put out by Cordelia Murphy at the previous Warzone. Immediately after this, we saw Jimm Red's former manager and family friend, Leon Lees, approaching Joseph Woods with a management offer, only to receive a pretty negative reaction from the cowboy.
In the first match of the night, we saw two newcomers square off as Seraphim took out the controversial Ironclad. Neither one of these guys are really helping the "freak" tag on Anarchy these days. Without much of a break afterwards, the DDT-Joseph Woods match took place with Woods getting the better of the new rookie.
And then it was time for the... "anarchy," for lack of a better word, to start. In the bout between Jezter and (FINALLY) the Arnold Classic, the clown ended up biting the Arnold in the face, as well as spewing green mist in his eyes before hitting his finisher and getting the win. It didn't end there, however, as Jezter took it upon himself to send a message to Tiger Komaru, the man he's been bickering with backstage, taking a chair to the Arnold's leg and effectively ending his fledgling XHW career on the spot. No one deserves that kind of... fate.
Continuing the chaos, we got a nice little visit from North Starr to remind the world that, even though he lost to Asylum at Superbrawl II, he is still the King of Mind Games. His proof? The Anarchy Championship. Starr has seemingly stolen the belt from Doc Hammer, and the "Ironman" wasn't too happy about it, charging the ring and leveling the Cobra Commander before getting taken out by a chair swung by Starr himself. Could this be the beginnings of something a little more... official?
In a rather lackluster debut for Taz, and a surprisingly strong showing from Cleaven "The Chance" Audrey, the Chance managing to pull out a victory over the former ECW Champion. It looks like the veteran may have bit off a little more than he can chew here in the XHW.
The mess continued as we got a rather ambiguous message on the MegaTron. With fireworks going off and gold sparks coming from the stage, the words, "The Past and Present Will Collide, History Will be Relived," came onto the screen. I think that's probably as mysterious as you'll get, even for us.
What exactly is the motivation for Diego Cortez challenging Johnny Diamond? My colleague Mark Matthews had that same question in mind when he approached the Spaniard at Anarchy. The answer? He's sick of hearing Diamond whine about wanting another shot at the Undisputed Championship, he wants retribution for the Japanese Seaman, and, most importantly, he wants to put on a show for the Stomping Grounds crowd.
After that, we got a special visit from Warzone star, J.T. Cash. Why? Well, Cash wanted to remind the world, as he so eloquently does, that he's the man to beat in the DTTT, and also to send a personal message to Next Generation teammate Jimm Red, explicitly expressed that Red won't ever get the title until Cash is through with it. Bold words...
Who would have thought that either Wesley Burns or sIMON could get any more... bizarre? Well, they have, and now they are apparently teaming together. After North Starr and sIMON were defeated by the team of Shark Boy and Burns at Anarchy, Wesley, in his typically fashion, seemed to get more and more frustrated throughout the match. Afterwards, he was coerced into attacking both North Starr and Shark Boy, sending a vicious message in the process. It wasn't a fireball, but I think the moment will still be controversial enough to earn another reprimand from management for the Burninator.
Kurt Angle is a little furious about how he was choked out by Taz at Xtreme All Access. He let the entire Stomping Grounds crowd know it as he came out to let the world know he's gunning for a submission match sometime soon to send a message to his former rival. Later in the night, Victor Mason let Angle know that he's not through with him either, although Mason seems to be constantly distracted by whatever that music every time he comes out.
Do we finally have a new contender for Excessive Force? It very well may be the Adams siblings: Koby and Frankie. The newly paired duo dispatched of the Sheglins rather effortlessly on Saturday, earning a victory and perhaps moving a little closer to a shot at the big time.
Doc Hammer took care of business, even if he didn't have his belt in hand. Asylum went down to the Ironman, and the chaos didn't end there as Johnny Blade and even the newly arriving "King CHAVO" (who I found out about a couple weeks ago) both staked their claim to the lowest crown in the federation. It likes like the Anarchy title will live up to its name.
Aaron Kay is back, and this time he's being managed by the sultry Morgan Ripley. She got a few words in with my colleague Mark Mathews Saturday night as she let him know that Kay is not to be trifled with. Other than that, she didn't really have much to say aside from the fact that she's not the one who bailed him out of prison. That remains a mystery...
Whatever happened to Dirk Diver? The Baron was manhandled by Reno Drake as the Silent Assassin was out to send a message to Mr. Jingles, defeated Dirk to claim the number one contendership to the Bronx Championship. After it was all over with, Jingles and the Nameless One sent a message of their own, delivering a barrage of clowns to the ring and playing a little head games by displaying a "familiar" bra to Drake. Reno managed to fend off most of the clowns, but eventually got overwhelmed, and then realized that Jingles was in the mix the entire time! This one is just beginning, and I can't say who exactly has the upper hand here...
Finally it was time for the main event as BlkOut and Maverick Harley finally faced off in their "Falls Count Anywhere" match. This all came about after BlkOut started his XHW career by attacking Mav repeatedly and eventually taking it to Mav's love interest, Roxas Knoxx, in the middle of the ring at Xtreme All Access. The match had almost everything, including interference from the rest of Project 242. Both men got their licks in, and both took a severe beating, but in the end it was BlkOut delivering the Curb Stomp onto a stack of chairs for the victory. Alas, the show was over.
And then there was Warzone. While there wasn't as much bedlam as there was on Anarchy, the show certainly gave us some indication of what's the come in the weeks leading up to Barely Legal...
One such match that looks like it might be taking shape is Mike Hoss versus the returned Alex Homme. Warzone's opener saw Hoss coming out to call out the Hardkore Icon and remind him that he's no pushover either. He challenged Homme to a match at Barely Legal where the fans would get to choose the stipulation. Even further, he challenged Homme to reveal exactly where he's been all this time, a question that many of us have been asking. Now, we wait and see...
It was a trio of women's matches to open the show's fighting. In the first, Casey Dodge and O.D.B. both couldn't make it to their match against Audree Gates and Roxas Knoxx, effectively forfeiting. Second, Grace Rourke became the first to put a dent in Talia Arroyo's record, showing the newcomer how the big girls play. And then, it was FiXX reestablishing her dominance by putting down Women's Championship hopeful Tyler Kiss with her new finishing maneuver. In the last and final women's match of the night, however, it was the champion herself, Cordelia Murphy, taking on her "open challenger" Jada, where if the challenger won she would get a shot at the belt. In the end, though, Murphy was too much too soon for the Academy student, getting the win. Later in the week, Murphy would issue the same challenge for the following Warzone to whomever wished to answer (Grace Rourke took the opportunity soon after).
Giovanni Valentino's arrogance knows no bounds. He brought out Universal Champion Eddie Rourke only to berate his fashion sense yet again with that sport coat. However, this time, Rourke would have none of it, tearing the coat and hitting Valentino with a Cutt Off for his troubles. Later in the night, however, Valentino moved a step closer to Rourke with a victory over former Universal Champion, Turbine. With a few more wins over division opponents, we could be seeing this match at Barely Legal as well...
Lucy Walker is back in blonde, and back in the XHW as she made an appearance at Warzone. She immediately asserted her authority, laying off Chris Crawford, Luke Cage, Bastian Bux, and Rhett Wildman, as well as announcing that she'll appear on Anarchy to announce a hiring, and letting the rest of the federation know that all "special" matches will have to go through her (i.e., Draven Torette and Jay Adam's recent endeavors). So much for the Claire Logan era!
It was a hotly anticipated match as Johnny Diamond and Reinhardt faced off this week. The two had never met before, and the match certainly lived up to the hype. Halfway through, we even got an appearance from Diego Cortez, distracting Diamond a bit, but not quite enough as the NextGen member picked up the victory. Afterwards, however, the Spaniard reminded Diamond about their main event match on Anarchy, not willing to be ignored.
For those looking forward to the Jakk Levy-Jay Adams face off, you were sorely disappointed on Wednesday. As anticipated, Jakk wasn't quite ready to return from injury, but that didn't stop Adams from declaring himself the victor in their match, as well as claiming victories over both Shaun and (despicably) Scott Levy after challenging both of them to a match. That's our Undisputed Champion, folks, a real class act. Before leaving, however, he did state that at least five XHW employees would be in the Jay Adams Invitational, leaving the rest to mystery. I can only imagine...
Eventually it was time for the heavily anticipated "Draven Torette Tribute Tournament," a match that saw all the contenders from the X-Core division squaring off in a battle royal where the last five remaining men move on to the next round. Earlier in the night, Jimm red let his intentions be known as the former number one contender, effectively ignored by Torette in the fashioning of the DTTT. Red did prove his mettle as he lasted to the final two, but was eliminated by the surprise winner of the match, Aston Michaels! The other three to move on included the other two members of the Next Generation that were in the match, J.T. Cash and Mike Hoss, as well as Johnny Sniper. Afterwards, Draven Torette announced that round 2 will be a ladder match where four briefcases, only three of which containing advancement opportunities, will be fought for. I have to hand it to him, this is exciting to watch!
Let's get to the backstage news as I'm sure you're all chomping at the bit to see what's been going down...
Riley DeSantos is certainly back in full swing. After run-ins with several XHW superstars since her return (including 1 with Koby Adams), it was inevitable that she'd bump into the also-returned Aaron Kay, her former fiance and father of her child, Lucas. It was an animosity-filled meeting from her side to say the least. Kay also had a little spat with Dakota Burrows about the whole "prison" situation, as well as running into FiXX in a workout room.
A little something interesting for all of you, this note was posted on XHW.com claiming a "Battle of New York" in June 2008. Let the rumor mill begin!
She may want a piece of the action, but Awesome Kong is going to have to fight her way into the X-Core division, and Diego Cortez reminded her of that in this little conversation that took an interesting turn. Kong also took her argument right to the man himself, Draven Torette, trying to get in his ear.
Looking for a new diva crush? Maybe Alyssa Cruise is your flavor. She and Koby Adams met backstage in the gym, having a brief conversation.
At the very least her career has hit a snag, and at the most it's likely over with: O.D.B. has been checked into rehab, and will most likely be there for quite some time...
The interesting relationship between BlkOut and Claire Logan plods on. After talking about championship gold and what's next on their plate, the two had a bit more to say, as well as having another interaction later in the week with even more tension. In other "relationship" news, Tyler Kiss and Mike Hoss aren't going anywhere, and neither are Frankie Adams and Morgan Garcia (woo!).
After being attacked by Scott Walker in his match against Daman Arress a couple weeks ago, Johnny Sniper took his argument to Walker himself, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
Two fresh faces met each other backstage as Morgan Ripley and Wade Harvey bumped into each other. Harvey seemed to know all about Ms. Ripley, while the manager required an actual introduction, understandably. Ripley also ran into J.T. Cash, delivering more insults than information, seemingly belittling Cash in her subtle way at every turn. I'll admit... I enjoyed it!
Could business and personal lives collide? That might be the case with Dakota Burrows and Giovanni Valentino. With Gio gunning for the Universal Championship and Dakota in the same division, this could get interesting. They had a chat recently to squash that little sidebet.
Could FiXX be the reason that Frankie Adams left the Dogtown Raiders? That was the accusation that started this conversation between the Queen and the Shining Light.
With strife within the Next Generation ranks and the apparent dissolution of the Dogtown Raideres, Project 242 seems like the only viable faction left in the XHW. The group had a meeting recently to discuss their future, and, not surprisingly, gold is a big part of the discussion.
It's hard to see Jakk Levy as a father considering his age, but that's going to be the case here in a few months. He and his lady, Jasmine, talked baby, houses, and wrestling in a rare family moment caught by cameras.
Jezter and Asylum... friends? That was the rumor going around before Anarchy this week, and the cameras DID manage to catch their conversation. Apparently, Asylum is quite the popular figure recently, as he even managed to get a few words in with Dakota Burrows, giving... life advice?
This thing is getting darker and darker the longer it going on. Reno Drake and Mr. Jingles will square off at some point for the Bronx Championship, but will there be special stipulations when they do? That's what the Nameless One is proposing...
He may be gone, but he's not out... At least that's what Ben Hampton is hoping for the former Undisputed Champion, the Japanese Seaman. The 2007 XHW Manager of the Year was found lobbying for his guy with Lucy Walker recently, but with the renewed anger, it didn't look like Walker was apt to comply...
Back from the dead, and some people are a little upset about not getting the memo beforehand. That was the situation when Alex Homme approached Cordelia Murphy backstage, although she eventually warmed up.
That's all I've got for this week, folks. Due to this late posting, I won't go over the cards for last night's Anarchy and the upcoming Warzone. In an actually related piece of news, the task of keeping up with all of the backstage goings-on as well as the recapping of the weekly shows will fall to my work associate, Mr. Mark Mathews, in his new segment entitled, "Basic Mathews-matics." Yes, friends, I'm actually going to be away for a few weeks on a much needed vacation, but rest assured that I will be back! Until next time... thanks for indulging me!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Back to the Drawing Board...
Welcome back to indulging Synn, friends and foes. This week was the first bit of action that we've had in quite some time as the XHW gears up to get on with life after Superbrawl II, and it started off with a bang this Wednesday.
On Warzone, it was the night that Claire Logan took over, filling in for her sister Lucy as she has yet to be tracked down after Superbrawl II. It was a busy night, with three matches from the X-Core division in total, not to mention what happened to start the show...
Starting off the night was brand new Undisputed Champion, Jay Adams, and the rest of the Dogtown Raiders, Draven Torette and Jay's cousin, Frankie Adams. I got to welcome the faction personally, and it was quite an interesting encounter as we heard the announcement of the "Draven Torette Tribute Tournament," or the "DTTT" for short, where the entire X-Core division will take part in a battle for the last-man-standing position opposite of Torette at Barely Legal with the belt on the line. I also got a couple announcements out of the champ himself as Jay threw out a challenge to the returning Jakk Levy for next Warzone, as well as taking it upon himself to start the "Jay Adams Invitational," a tournament for 15 wrestlers hand-picked by Adams to determine the new #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship. The first invite? Conveniently, it was Torette himself. And to top it all off, we saw Frankie leave the Raiders to go chase the Tornado Tag Team Championships with her recently returned brother, Koby, adhering to her promise to leave the women's division should she fail in her third attempt at winning that division's championship.
Believe it or not, we did actually have matches this week, and it started off with Daman Arress and Johnny Sniper, both men looking to prove their mettle within the division. It looked like all Sniper early, but after stating earlier in the night that he was going to "take matters into [his] own hands," Scott Walker attacked Sniper, causing a DQ victory in Johnny's favor. Daman couldn't have been too happy about that either... More on this later.
The women's division is also looking for a new number one contender for Cordelia Murphy's title, and Grace Rourke made it known that she's got some unfinished business with the belt, gaining a victory over Casey Blue with a textbook GVR. Casey looked like she might have had a bit of ring rust in this one...
For those who have been living under a rock, Awesome Kong turned out to be the "It" that Margaret-Anne york was referring to leading up to Superbrawl II. This week, she made quite the statement in returning the TNA Knockout Championship to the federation, stating once again that she has her sights set on the X-Core gold.
Perhaps the earlier interfering took something out of Scott Walker, but he looked a little under-prepared for his match later in the night against Jimm Red. The NextGen star took it to Walker, eventually earning the victory, and causing Walker to look even more on edge after it was all said and done.
Immediately following the match, Red's faction friend, Johnny Diamond, decided to come out and let the world know that he wants another shot at the Undisputed Championship! Well, maybe he'll get invited to the Jay Adams Invitational, but somehow I doubt it. One man who does seem eager to give Diamond a chance is Anarchy star, Diego Cortez. The Spaniard called Diamond out after he put the Japanese Seaman out with an injury at Superbrawl II, and especially after hearing many of the veterans backstage telling Diamond he should start again from square one if he really wants to earn some respect. It took a little coaxing, but Diamond finally agreed to face Cortez on the next Anarchy. I'll be looking forward to this one without a doubt...
Could the new contender for the Undisputed Women's Championship be a rookie? It's beginning to look more and more like Talia Arroyo is unstoppable, as she made an example of Casey Dodge this week, getting the victory over the XHW veteran and Razor Stiletto leader. She's still undefeated, as far as I can remember... Speaking of the Women's belt, Cordelia Murphy came out just after the match to issue an open challenge to whoever wants to face her next week. If her opponent should win, they would earn a shot at the title.
In the match of the night, J.T. Cash took on the young up-and-comer, Aston Michaels. It was a great match throughout, only to be marred at the end by, guess who: Scott Walker. Apparently out there to deliver a message to Cash, Walker inadvertently clocked Michaels in the jaw, making it just a bit easier for Cash to pick up the win, moving him a little higher to that coveted number one spot in the X-Core division. Of course, all that hard work may be for naught should he not advance in the DTTT next week!
Not only did I get the chance to kick off Warzone this week with the Raiders, I was asked by Giovanni Valentino, the sole survivor of Superbrawl II's main event, to do a brief interview with him. Of course, I should have known that it was going to be mostly self-promotion and self-glorification, but it seemed like almost a waste of time as all Gio wanted to do was talk about Eddie Rourke's fashion sense. For those of us who read between the lines, however, could Gio be gearing up for a run at the Universal Champion? It's possible...
Speaking of Rourke, he was pitted in the main event against an up-and-coming contender in his own right, Joe Riggs. Still wanting to prove himself as a singles competitor as well as part of the most dominant team many of us have ever seen, Riggs put on quite an effort, but it fell just short in this non-title affair as Rourke got the pin with the Cutt Off.
Just as the show was about to come to a close, we were treating to a little contract signing event. Acting Warzone GM, Claire Logan, came out with a contract for Alex Homme, no doubt with devious intentions on her mind. However, a little quick thinking and sneakiness helped Homme to sign the contract before any shenanigans could take place, and he is officially back on the XHW roster. Welcome... Homme? Sorry... I can't help myself sometimes.
With Warzone wrapped up, let's get to the always juicy backstage news...
There are still stories trickling in from Superbrawl II. One such story is that of the confrontation between newcomer Jezter and Tiger Komaru of the DragonGate. The two not only had it out at the big show, but recently had to be separated by security after Jezter provoked Tiger and the disciples. This one is far from over... Another SB2 late-developing story is the interaction between Sara Foxx and Reinhardt, both of whom had big nights on that weekend, and got together to celebrate.
In a more upbeat story, it looks like the relationship between Reno Drake and academy student Jada continues to blossom. Check out this video of them keeping it light with a little friendly wager on hoops. In other relationship news, it looks like Morgan Garcia and Frankie Adams are still getting along just fine...
It doesn't look like sIMON will be getting into Project 242 any time soon. He and North Starr may share a manager, but they were both a little upset about having the share the ring on this week's Anarchy.
Let the rumors officially end: Roxas Knoxx and Maverick Harley have gone and sucked face on camera. They were seen getting together after Knoxx's brutal match against BlkOut at Xtreme All Access. Speaking of Harley, after being spurned by Asylum, he may have found that "you watch my back" partner in Koby Adams. They seem to have come to some sort of agreement, at least. Koby also had a long conversation with Cordelia Murphy... mostly about her crush on Harley.
The rest of us may not know who "Gentlemen" James Coburn is, but Ben Hampton certainly seems to. James showed up at Hampton's office recently to have a little chat and re-introduce himself. Coburn was also spotted giving advice to Jada down at the Academy as well as congratulating Giovanni Valentino on surviving the SB2 main event carnage.
After losing for the second time to Mr. Jingles, and after his personal friend, the Japanese Seaman, was injured at Superbrawl II, Diego Cortez was understandably in a down mood. After a conversation with Turbine, however, both men seem to have lightened their spirits.
Could Doc Hammer be the man to face Draven Torette? Not unless he drops that Anarchy Championship he earned at XAA and ponies up the cash to enter the X-Core division. However, he did approach Draven recently to discuss the topic.
An interesting face was spotted backstage talking to FiXX recently: Aaron Kay. The two talked about their children mostly, but it didn't end well. Kay also caught up with Cordelia Murphy, discussing plans and bail, and Dakota Burrows, a tense meeting to say the least. Last but not least, he tracked down the mother of his child, Riley DeSantos, and it was a little... odd.
J.T. Cash also ran into DeSantos, and their meeting was a little more flirtatious than anything else. Cash had a discussion with BlkOut too about keeping their respective factions separate from each other. In fact, all of Project 242 had a meeting to discuss their future plans.
Is Johnny Diamond going to get that coveted third shot at the Undisputed Championship? Not if Claire Logan can help it. She and Diamond had a confrontation backstage where she adamantly denied the former #1 contender's claims as she asserted her newfound power. There was also a mysterious note posted on XHW.com about the Universal Championship that many thought was Logan's handiwork, but she has denied it was her.
With all of that out of the way, here's the card for this week's Saturday Night Anarchy:
- The first four matches all feature debuts as Seraphim and Ironclad face off in the first XHW bout for both men, DDT gets his start against newcomer Joseph Woods, Jezter gets his second match against, believe it or not, the first match for the Arnold Classic, and wrestling veteran Taz gets his XHW opener against the always up-and-down Cleavan Audrey, "The Chance."
- In a very interesting tag team match-up, everyone's favorite dysfunctional couple, North Starr and sIMON, will be taking on the fire and water team of Wesley Burns and Shark Boy.
- The other tag team match will feature the brother-sister team of Koby and Frankie Adams against the brother-brother team of Doug and Danny Bean, the Sheglins.
- In the first defense of the newly minted Anarchy Championship, Doc Hammer will try to fend off Asylum, who's coming off a heart-wrenching first few months in the XHW.
- Anarchy's other belt, the Bronx Championship, will have a new number one contender named as Dirk Diver and Reno Drake square off for the right to face Mr. Jingles for the title. You can only imagine the fury that will be the Silent Assassin in this one...
- We're still not sure whether or not he'll be medically cleared, but Maverick Harley is still scheduled to take on BlkOut in a "Falls Count Anywhere" match in Anarchy's main event. Lots of animosity here...
That's in for this installment, friends. Come back next time, and as always, thanks for indulging me!
On Warzone, it was the night that Claire Logan took over, filling in for her sister Lucy as she has yet to be tracked down after Superbrawl II. It was a busy night, with three matches from the X-Core division in total, not to mention what happened to start the show...
Starting off the night was brand new Undisputed Champion, Jay Adams, and the rest of the Dogtown Raiders, Draven Torette and Jay's cousin, Frankie Adams. I got to welcome the faction personally, and it was quite an interesting encounter as we heard the announcement of the "Draven Torette Tribute Tournament," or the "DTTT" for short, where the entire X-Core division will take part in a battle for the last-man-standing position opposite of Torette at Barely Legal with the belt on the line. I also got a couple announcements out of the champ himself as Jay threw out a challenge to the returning Jakk Levy for next Warzone, as well as taking it upon himself to start the "Jay Adams Invitational," a tournament for 15 wrestlers hand-picked by Adams to determine the new #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship. The first invite? Conveniently, it was Torette himself. And to top it all off, we saw Frankie leave the Raiders to go chase the Tornado Tag Team Championships with her recently returned brother, Koby, adhering to her promise to leave the women's division should she fail in her third attempt at winning that division's championship.
Believe it or not, we did actually have matches this week, and it started off with Daman Arress and Johnny Sniper, both men looking to prove their mettle within the division. It looked like all Sniper early, but after stating earlier in the night that he was going to "take matters into [his] own hands," Scott Walker attacked Sniper, causing a DQ victory in Johnny's favor. Daman couldn't have been too happy about that either... More on this later.
The women's division is also looking for a new number one contender for Cordelia Murphy's title, and Grace Rourke made it known that she's got some unfinished business with the belt, gaining a victory over Casey Blue with a textbook GVR. Casey looked like she might have had a bit of ring rust in this one...
For those who have been living under a rock, Awesome Kong turned out to be the "It" that Margaret-Anne york was referring to leading up to Superbrawl II. This week, she made quite the statement in returning the TNA Knockout Championship to the federation, stating once again that she has her sights set on the X-Core gold.
Perhaps the earlier interfering took something out of Scott Walker, but he looked a little under-prepared for his match later in the night against Jimm Red. The NextGen star took it to Walker, eventually earning the victory, and causing Walker to look even more on edge after it was all said and done.
Immediately following the match, Red's faction friend, Johnny Diamond, decided to come out and let the world know that he wants another shot at the Undisputed Championship! Well, maybe he'll get invited to the Jay Adams Invitational, but somehow I doubt it. One man who does seem eager to give Diamond a chance is Anarchy star, Diego Cortez. The Spaniard called Diamond out after he put the Japanese Seaman out with an injury at Superbrawl II, and especially after hearing many of the veterans backstage telling Diamond he should start again from square one if he really wants to earn some respect. It took a little coaxing, but Diamond finally agreed to face Cortez on the next Anarchy. I'll be looking forward to this one without a doubt...
Could the new contender for the Undisputed Women's Championship be a rookie? It's beginning to look more and more like Talia Arroyo is unstoppable, as she made an example of Casey Dodge this week, getting the victory over the XHW veteran and Razor Stiletto leader. She's still undefeated, as far as I can remember... Speaking of the Women's belt, Cordelia Murphy came out just after the match to issue an open challenge to whoever wants to face her next week. If her opponent should win, they would earn a shot at the title.
In the match of the night, J.T. Cash took on the young up-and-comer, Aston Michaels. It was a great match throughout, only to be marred at the end by, guess who: Scott Walker. Apparently out there to deliver a message to Cash, Walker inadvertently clocked Michaels in the jaw, making it just a bit easier for Cash to pick up the win, moving him a little higher to that coveted number one spot in the X-Core division. Of course, all that hard work may be for naught should he not advance in the DTTT next week!
Not only did I get the chance to kick off Warzone this week with the Raiders, I was asked by Giovanni Valentino, the sole survivor of Superbrawl II's main event, to do a brief interview with him. Of course, I should have known that it was going to be mostly self-promotion and self-glorification, but it seemed like almost a waste of time as all Gio wanted to do was talk about Eddie Rourke's fashion sense. For those of us who read between the lines, however, could Gio be gearing up for a run at the Universal Champion? It's possible...
Speaking of Rourke, he was pitted in the main event against an up-and-coming contender in his own right, Joe Riggs. Still wanting to prove himself as a singles competitor as well as part of the most dominant team many of us have ever seen, Riggs put on quite an effort, but it fell just short in this non-title affair as Rourke got the pin with the Cutt Off.
Just as the show was about to come to a close, we were treating to a little contract signing event. Acting Warzone GM, Claire Logan, came out with a contract for Alex Homme, no doubt with devious intentions on her mind. However, a little quick thinking and sneakiness helped Homme to sign the contract before any shenanigans could take place, and he is officially back on the XHW roster. Welcome... Homme? Sorry... I can't help myself sometimes.
With Warzone wrapped up, let's get to the always juicy backstage news...
There are still stories trickling in from Superbrawl II. One such story is that of the confrontation between newcomer Jezter and Tiger Komaru of the DragonGate. The two not only had it out at the big show, but recently had to be separated by security after Jezter provoked Tiger and the disciples. This one is far from over... Another SB2 late-developing story is the interaction between Sara Foxx and Reinhardt, both of whom had big nights on that weekend, and got together to celebrate.
In a more upbeat story, it looks like the relationship between Reno Drake and academy student Jada continues to blossom. Check out this video of them keeping it light with a little friendly wager on hoops. In other relationship news, it looks like Morgan Garcia and Frankie Adams are still getting along just fine...
It doesn't look like sIMON will be getting into Project 242 any time soon. He and North Starr may share a manager, but they were both a little upset about having the share the ring on this week's Anarchy.
Let the rumors officially end: Roxas Knoxx and Maverick Harley have gone and sucked face on camera. They were seen getting together after Knoxx's brutal match against BlkOut at Xtreme All Access. Speaking of Harley, after being spurned by Asylum, he may have found that "you watch my back" partner in Koby Adams. They seem to have come to some sort of agreement, at least. Koby also had a long conversation with Cordelia Murphy... mostly about her crush on Harley.
The rest of us may not know who "Gentlemen" James Coburn is, but Ben Hampton certainly seems to. James showed up at Hampton's office recently to have a little chat and re-introduce himself. Coburn was also spotted giving advice to Jada down at the Academy as well as congratulating Giovanni Valentino on surviving the SB2 main event carnage.
After losing for the second time to Mr. Jingles, and after his personal friend, the Japanese Seaman, was injured at Superbrawl II, Diego Cortez was understandably in a down mood. After a conversation with Turbine, however, both men seem to have lightened their spirits.
Could Doc Hammer be the man to face Draven Torette? Not unless he drops that Anarchy Championship he earned at XAA and ponies up the cash to enter the X-Core division. However, he did approach Draven recently to discuss the topic.
An interesting face was spotted backstage talking to FiXX recently: Aaron Kay. The two talked about their children mostly, but it didn't end well. Kay also caught up with Cordelia Murphy, discussing plans and bail, and Dakota Burrows, a tense meeting to say the least. Last but not least, he tracked down the mother of his child, Riley DeSantos, and it was a little... odd.
J.T. Cash also ran into DeSantos, and their meeting was a little more flirtatious than anything else. Cash had a discussion with BlkOut too about keeping their respective factions separate from each other. In fact, all of Project 242 had a meeting to discuss their future plans.
Is Johnny Diamond going to get that coveted third shot at the Undisputed Championship? Not if Claire Logan can help it. She and Diamond had a confrontation backstage where she adamantly denied the former #1 contender's claims as she asserted her newfound power. There was also a mysterious note posted on XHW.com about the Universal Championship that many thought was Logan's handiwork, but she has denied it was her.
With all of that out of the way, here's the card for this week's Saturday Night Anarchy:
- The first four matches all feature debuts as Seraphim and Ironclad face off in the first XHW bout for both men, DDT gets his start against newcomer Joseph Woods, Jezter gets his second match against, believe it or not, the first match for the Arnold Classic, and wrestling veteran Taz gets his XHW opener against the always up-and-down Cleavan Audrey, "The Chance."
- In a very interesting tag team match-up, everyone's favorite dysfunctional couple, North Starr and sIMON, will be taking on the fire and water team of Wesley Burns and Shark Boy.
- The other tag team match will feature the brother-sister team of Koby and Frankie Adams against the brother-brother team of Doug and Danny Bean, the Sheglins.
- In the first defense of the newly minted Anarchy Championship, Doc Hammer will try to fend off Asylum, who's coming off a heart-wrenching first few months in the XHW.
- Anarchy's other belt, the Bronx Championship, will have a new number one contender named as Dirk Diver and Reno Drake square off for the right to face Mr. Jingles for the title. You can only imagine the fury that will be the Silent Assassin in this one...
- We're still not sure whether or not he'll be medically cleared, but Maverick Harley is still scheduled to take on BlkOut in a "Falls Count Anywhere" match in Anarchy's main event. Lots of animosity here...
That's in for this installment, friends. Come back next time, and as always, thanks for indulging me!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Another Star?
Hey folks. Just figured I'd pop in real quick and fill you in on a conversation I had with Doug Bean, of all people, just after posting this past edition of "Indulging Synn." Anyway, here's what happened...
Doug Bean walks over to Xavier Synn and, more importantly, the noticeboard.
Doug Bean: Excuse me, squire. I have a VERY important notice to pin up.
Xavier takes a step back, holding out his arm to allow the Bean Brother by, alliteration aside, of course.
Xavier Synn
By all means, Doug. Anything interesting?
He feels like he has to ask. Truth be told, he's downright curious... Doug Bean holds his head up high, almost pompous, and turns it slightly towards Xavier Synn.
Doug Bean: Let me flip the script for a second. Let me ask YOU a question.
Doug clears his throat as he prepares to get serious.
Doug Bean: Are you clear on the card for next weeks 'Saturday Night Anarchy'?
Xavier shrugs, tilting his head.
Xavier Synn
I've glanced over it... is there something in particular that you're getting at?
Doug expresses fake shock.
Doug Bean: ....you've 'glanced' over it. Well, i'll have you know that The Arnold Classic is involved in his debut match! You should be excited! I know I am! What a seriously tasty prospect he is!
Doug smirks thinking that he's avoided Xavier's original enquiry. Xavier cocks an eyebrow.
Xavier Synn
The Arnold Classic? Seriously? It's about time that he's signed for match, in my opinion. The man's done little more than dance around the arenas across the country and get led out by security. But hey, your friends with the Arnold... he got anything special planned for his debut?
He's genuinely interested, as he can't quite visualize the Arnold Classic actually competing in a match. Doug Bean looks somewhat pleased.
Doug Bean: The Classic likes to dance I suppose. Just like we do. It doesnt always have to be serious! You can have abit of hoistly action in the backstage area! Look, he's just gonna go out and wrestle I suppose! The Arnold Classic? Did you see that guy take out the security the other week!? That was, until they outnumbered him.
Doug then looks unhappy for a split second. Then he looks at the paper instantly bringing a smile to his face. He waves it in front of Xavier. Xavier holds up his hands, fending off the Doug Bean.
Xavier Synn
OK, OK... what's on the note?
He straightens out his shirt as he takes a step back, a little frazzled by the man's actions... Doug stops and nods his head.
Doug Bean: I cant believe it! I'm so happy that he's seen sense! Just, well, look...............
Doug Bean takes a drawing pin from out of his pocket and pins the note on the wall.
(It's a note announcing the arrival of "King CHAVO" to the XHW)
Xavier Synn
You've got to be kidding... "King" Chavo? Is this serious?
He looks over at Doug, who's still grinning rather proudly at his handiwork. Doug Bean looks at Xavier Synn with a grin on his face!
Doug Bean: I'm Doug Bean. I ONLY do serious! Besides, I thought you'd be pleased! What a great SCOOP for you, no!?
Xavier shrugs as he strokes his chin, looking at the note.
Xavier Synn
I mean, it's a decent signing. We get a handful of big name, established superstars every year, and I guess this is no different... But wait, what do you have to do with this?
He turns to Doug, a confused look on his face. Doug puts his hands upon his hips.
Doug Bean: King CHAVO is a friend of ours. You could say that we're like family! We go way back to our days in an old company. He helped train us! We battled side by side. Sadly the company went bankrupt and we wents our seperate ways. He joined WCW and we toured the country. But now.........
Doug raises his eyebrows. Suggesting the fact that King CHAVO is officially signed. Xavier leans back against the wall.
Xavier Synn
So are we looking at a new member to the Sheglins family? You've already got you and your brother, Dr. James... excuse me, DR. JAMES ANDREWS, and the Arnold Classic...
Doug looks disgusted.
Doug Bean: Woah, woah, woah! Hang on there. The Sheglins family? KING CHAVO!? No, no, no. We have too much respect for that. We couldnt allow royalty to become a part of our family. We are not worthy of King CHAVO's greatness! Tell me, have you ever met royalty, Synn?
Doug tilts his head. Xavier shrugs.
Xavier Synn
I guess that depends on your definition of "royalty," Mr. Bean...
He inwardly laughs.
Xavier Synn
But we've seen you and Chavo together quite often outside of your competing here. Why not welcome him in?
Doug shakes his head.
Doug Bean: King CHAVO someone that we respect and look up to. We simply are not worthy his greatness. He will serve and protect under his almighty ruling. All of us. What is ours is his. What he chooses to give us, we will gladly accept.
Xavier raises an eyebrow as he senses that he's getting somewhere with this, as incredulous as that seems...
Xavier Synn
So what you're basically saying is that, when Chavo arrives, he's going to be your leader? Is that right?
Doug almost looks shocked that Xavier would even think otherwise.
Doug Bean: You don't boss royalty around! We have King CHAVO's back. If CHAViTO want's us, he'll call for us.
Xavier just shakes his head. It's hard enough to figure out all the antics of the Sheglins in themselves, but it's almost harder to figure out when they're being serious.
Xavier Synn
Well then I guess we'll all be looking forward to it then. With the arrival of Chavo and the debut of the Arnold Classic, you boys are going to have one busy weekend...
Doug Bean huffs. Once again having been overlooked.
Doug Bean: Not to forget The Sheglins! We're in action too! ......but we dont want to take the spotlight away from CHAViTO and The Arnold Classic. SUCH BEASTS!!
Doug Bean wipes his goosey-brow.
Doug Bean: It's been....interesting meeting with a fellow humanoid. I'll personally send your best wishes to the King upon his arrival.
Xavier nods slowly, not sure what to say.
Xavier Synn
I guess I'd... appreciate that? Good luck next weekend.
Doug Bean frowns, then smiles, then frowns, rapidly for 3 seconds.
Doug Bean: You will not only appreciate it......you will ENJOY it! Anyway, thanking you, Mr. Synn! I shall do my best next week. BEEF 666!!!
Doug Bean adjusts his bra strap, turns and sprints down the corridor leaving Xavier bewildered. Xavier just watches Doug leave before shaking his head one last time, muttering to himself.
Xavier Synn
What the hell is this place coming to...
Backstage in Sacramento, Xavier Synn walks to the employee message board and pins up a note mentioning that there's a new "Indulging Synn" out, recapping Superbrawl II as well as all the backstage news and a preview of this week's Warzone. As he stands back to look at all the other notes on the board, Doug Bean approaches.
Doug Bean: Excuse me, squire. I have a VERY important notice to pin up.
Xavier takes a step back, holding out his arm to allow the Bean Brother by, alliteration aside, of course.
Xavier Synn
By all means, Doug. Anything interesting?
He feels like he has to ask. Truth be told, he's downright curious... Doug Bean holds his head up high, almost pompous, and turns it slightly towards Xavier Synn.
Doug Bean: Let me flip the script for a second. Let me ask YOU a question.
Doug clears his throat as he prepares to get serious.
Doug Bean: Are you clear on the card for next weeks 'Saturday Night Anarchy'?
Xavier shrugs, tilting his head.
Xavier Synn
I've glanced over it... is there something in particular that you're getting at?
Doug Bean: ....you've 'glanced' over it. Well, i'll have you know that The Arnold Classic is involved in his debut match! You should be excited! I know I am! What a seriously tasty prospect he is!
Doug smirks thinking that he's avoided Xavier's original enquiry. Xavier cocks an eyebrow.
Xavier Synn
The Arnold Classic? Seriously? It's about time that he's signed for match, in my opinion. The man's done little more than dance around the arenas across the country and get led out by security. But hey, your friends with the Arnold... he got anything special planned for his debut?
He's genuinely interested, as he can't quite visualize the Arnold Classic actually competing in a match. Doug Bean looks somewhat pleased.
Doug Bean: The Classic likes to dance I suppose. Just like we do. It doesnt always have to be serious! You can have abit of hoistly action in the backstage area! Look, he's just gonna go out and wrestle I suppose! The Arnold Classic? Did you see that guy take out the security the other week!? That was, until they outnumbered him.
Doug then looks unhappy for a split second. Then he looks at the paper instantly bringing a smile to his face. He waves it in front of Xavier. Xavier holds up his hands, fending off the Doug Bean.
Xavier Synn
OK, OK... what's on the note?
He straightens out his shirt as he takes a step back, a little frazzled by the man's actions... Doug stops and nods his head.
Doug Bean: I cant believe it! I'm so happy that he's seen sense! Just, well, look...............
Doug Bean takes a drawing pin from out of his pocket and pins the note on the wall.
(It's a note announcing the arrival of "King CHAVO" to the XHW)
Xavier Synn
You've got to be kidding... "King" Chavo? Is this serious?
He looks over at Doug, who's still grinning rather proudly at his handiwork. Doug Bean looks at Xavier Synn with a grin on his face!
Doug Bean: I'm Doug Bean. I ONLY do serious! Besides, I thought you'd be pleased! What a great SCOOP for you, no!?
Xavier shrugs as he strokes his chin, looking at the note.
Xavier Synn
I mean, it's a decent signing. We get a handful of big name, established superstars every year, and I guess this is no different... But wait, what do you have to do with this?
He turns to Doug, a confused look on his face. Doug puts his hands upon his hips.
Doug Bean: King CHAVO is a friend of ours. You could say that we're like family! We go way back to our days in an old company. He helped train us! We battled side by side. Sadly the company went bankrupt and we wents our seperate ways. He joined WCW and we toured the country. But now.........
Doug raises his eyebrows. Suggesting the fact that King CHAVO is officially signed. Xavier leans back against the wall.
Xavier Synn
So are we looking at a new member to the Sheglins family? You've already got you and your brother, Dr. James... excuse me, DR. JAMES ANDREWS, and the Arnold Classic...
Doug Bean: Woah, woah, woah! Hang on there. The Sheglins family? KING CHAVO!? No, no, no. We have too much respect for that. We couldnt allow royalty to become a part of our family. We are not worthy of King CHAVO's greatness! Tell me, have you ever met royalty, Synn?
Doug tilts his head. Xavier shrugs.
Xavier Synn
I guess that depends on your definition of "royalty," Mr. Bean...
He inwardly laughs.
Xavier Synn
But we've seen you and Chavo together quite often outside of your competing here. Why not welcome him in?
Doug Bean: King CHAVO someone that we respect and look up to. We simply are not worthy his greatness. He will serve and protect under his almighty ruling. All of us. What is ours is his. What he chooses to give us, we will gladly accept.
Xavier raises an eyebrow as he senses that he's getting somewhere with this, as incredulous as that seems...
Xavier Synn
So what you're basically saying is that, when Chavo arrives, he's going to be your leader? Is that right?
Doug Bean: You don't boss royalty around! We have King CHAVO's back. If CHAViTO want's us, he'll call for us.
Xavier just shakes his head. It's hard enough to figure out all the antics of the Sheglins in themselves, but it's almost harder to figure out when they're being serious.
Xavier Synn
Well then I guess we'll all be looking forward to it then. With the arrival of Chavo and the debut of the Arnold Classic, you boys are going to have one busy weekend...
Doug Bean: Not to forget The Sheglins! We're in action too! ......but we dont want to take the spotlight away from CHAViTO and The Arnold Classic. SUCH BEASTS!!
Doug Bean wipes his goosey-brow.
Doug Bean: It's been....interesting meeting with a fellow humanoid. I'll personally send your best wishes to the King upon his arrival.
Xavier nods slowly, not sure what to say.
Xavier Synn
I guess I'd... appreciate that? Good luck next weekend.
Doug Bean: You will not only appreciate it......you will ENJOY it! Anyway, thanking you, Mr. Synn! I shall do my best next week. BEEF 666!!!
Doug Bean adjusts his bra strap, turns and sprints down the corridor leaving Xavier bewildered. Xavier just watches Doug leave before shaking his head one last time, muttering to himself.
Xavier Synn
What the hell is this place coming to...
Anyway, there you have it. It appears that yet another star is defecting to the XHW, in the wake of both Awesome Kong and Taz arriving over Superbrawl II weekend, it appears that now Chavo Guerrero, or, as he's being hailed, "King CHAVO," will be coming to the XHW very soon. That's all I've got! Check back for more news soon!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Super Indeed...
Welcome back to "Indulging Synn," ladies and gentlemen. It's safe to say that I've been rather busy since the last installment of the blog, but it's all been worth it as we had a fantastic Superbrawl II weekend. Without more prose from me, let's get to the results.
First off, we had the Xtreme All Access pre-show on Saturday Night. It was a night that saw many feuds end, and some new stars continue to stake their claim...
In the night's opener, I think we ALL got a surprise with a rather brutal debut match for two Anarchy newcomers: Jezter and Joseph Woods. The two battled back and forth in a blood-spilling brawl that ended with Woods coming out on top. He wraps this one up with his vicious-looking "Texas Torture Rack"... No doubt there's more to come from these two gentlemen as they get their XHW careers under way.
The brutality didn't end in the second match as Anarchy rookie sIMON continues to impress. Claiming the victory over fellow Anarchist "The Chance" as well as X-Core member Alyx Gates, sIMON treated the Boston faithful to another version of his "Art or Anarchy" display. After wrapping a steel chain around the head and eyes of Alyx Gates, he, Ariel, and Jacob Widmore retreated to the back. Is anyone going to put a stop to this guy and his bizarre... work?
With a certain maniacal clown still on his mind, Reno Drake punished Caden Banks just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even after the bell, Drake refused to release his Wisconsin Death Trap, sending a message to Mr. Jingles.
Not only did BlkOut deliver on his promise to destroy Roxas Knoxx, he did it in sickening fashion. He beat her from pillar to post... with pillar and post. Knoxx was able to get one or two shots in, but it was never enough to make anyone think that she had a chance. Even with Maverick Harley making an appearance, BlkOut still found a way to fend him off, bludgeoning him with a screwdriver in the face before pinning Mav's love interest. More on this situation later...
Victor Mason and Kurt Angle finally got that submission match that the two were clamoring for. It seemed like a relatively back and forth affair between the two until Angle got the upper hand, trapping Mason in that Ankle-Lock that's damn near impossible to escape. After it was all over, however, the promise made to me earlier in the week was delivered. On his way up the entry ramp, Angle was attacked by Taz, getting taken down by the Tazmission... You can only guess what's going to happen between these two former rivals...
A new champion was born on Saturday night as well. In the first of many Anarchy rules matches to come, Doc Hammer pinned Johnny Blade to become the first ever Anarchy Champion. It was a real barn-burner for those hardcore fans, and it had everything from steel chairs to kendo sticks to a Hammer Down onto brass tacks. I can't wait to see the next one of these matches!
Try, try, and try again. That would be my recommendation to Diego Cortez after he failed against Mr. Jingles one-on-one for the second time. Anarchy's premier clown found a way to retain the Bronx Championship after a valiant effort from the Spaniard, showing that he has what it takes to stay at the top of the ladder when it comes to Saturday nights.
In the night's main event, the reigning XHW Tornado Tag Team Champions effectively put an end to any dispute that they are the cream of the crop when it comes to tag teams in the federation, if not the industry. It was a good effort from all three challengers (the DragonGate Clan, the Sheglins, and the Lynch Mob), but as they seem to do time and time again, Excessive Force retained. Will this heal the rifts between them over Hoss's recent relationship with Tyler Kiss, or will it simply delay the inevitable? Of course, perhaps we should ask a little more relevant, harder to answer question: who's next?
And then... it was time for the big show. It seemed like forever until Sunday rolled around, but when it did, Superbrawl II did not disappoint.
The night started with Giovanni Valentino coming out to remind us all one more time how great he is, only to be interrupted by the man that lets his actions do the talking: Hendrix Walker. It set the tone for a truly intense, electric night.
In the first match of the night, Aston Michaels and Johnny Sniper came out to finish their months-long feud. It was an all out brawl that saw both men kick out of finishing moves, and it seemed like neither of them would ever give up. In the end, however, someone had to go down, and after Sniper passed out with Aston locking in the sharpshooter, this one was all over. Hopefully this gave both men a little more respect for each other, it certainly showed me that they're determined to win.
The battle of the sexes was probably one of the more entertaining bouts of the night as the team of Razor Stiletto (Casey Dodge, O.D.B., and Tyler Kiss) took on Team Diver (Dirk Diver, Billy Coop, and the Iron Sheik). This had everything from low blows to french kisses and all that goes in between. In the end, it was the ladies coming out on top (no pun intended) as Tyler got the pin on Dirk. Maybe this one will put Diver in his place... but somehow I doubt it!
If not for the epic main event, the battle between North Starr and Asylum might have been the biggest grudge match of the night. After being tortured for years over his wife's death, Asylum fought to free the woman that he thought was his wife, seemingly back from the dead, only to find out after defeating North Starr that it was a look-alike, yet another cruel trick from his bitter nemesis. Is this one finally over, or will Asylum be looking to end North Starr in the XHW once and for all?
Who didn't see this coming? When J.T. Cash called out Rob Gunn for their previously scheduled match (BEFORE Gunn was taken out by the Next Generation), the worldwide audience thought Gunn would show since his music started to play. However, it was all just another ploy from Cash. Despite George Daniels, veteran XHW announcer, trying to chastise Cash for the move, he was promptly put in his place and Cash forced a referee to come down to the ring and count Gunn out, giving the Next Generation his "hard earned" victory... When Gunn comes back, this clown's going to have hell to pay.
Early on in the night, Ethan Price was confronted by Mike Hoss over who exactly the "Unknown Solider" is that keeps attacking him. Price refused to give up the information for fear of the Solider himself, and Hoss was promptly laid out by some knuckle dusters. Later, Price came out to introduce the world to his solider, revealing him as the long-thought-dead Alex Homme. Apparently the Hardcore Icon is back to claim his place as Mr. Hardcore in the XHW once again, taking offense to Hoss assuming that handle. I think it's safe to say there are a whole lot of questions that still need answering here...
Being Superbrawl II, almost every match deserved match of the night honors, and Christian Cage vs. Reinhardt in the Street Fight was no different. Both of these men gave it all that they had throughout this bout, and thankfully we didn't see any outside interference (call that J.B.L. incident what you will...). After it was all said and done, it was a worn out Reinhardt delivering a Hardt Burn onto a trolley for the pin.
In a match that pretty much saw action from almost every X-Core division member, the fatal fourway two fall X-Core and Universal Championship brawl saw one belt stay right where it was while the other moved on somewhere new. Draven Torette retained his X-Core title while pinned Scott Walker as he was locked in a Boston Crab by Eddie Rourke, and after interference from two more X-Core hopefuls (J.T. Cash and Daman Arress, who both stated their intent for the title earlier through the night), Rourke found a way to hit the Cutt Off on Turbine to win the Universal Championship. But it wasn't over then, after it was all said and done, we finally got the answer to Margaret-Anne York's "it" promotion, revealing that the Amazing Kong has come to the XHW!
It was a moment of glory for two fabled XHW superstars, Sara Foxx and Shaun Levy, as the two were inducted into the XHW Hall of Fame on Sunday. Foxx was inducted by her good friend and fellow Englishwoman Grace Rourke, while the man formerly known as the Boogie Man and Syxx66 was inducted by his nephew and former XHW Undisputed Champion in his own right, Jakk Levy. It was truly a great moment for both individuals, and a real treat for the XHW fans to see them in the ring one more time.
Finally it was time for the women to have their time in the ring as the Undisputed Women's Championship was set to be decided after being vacated at Full Throttle. Both women involved in that decision (Frankie Adams and Cordelia Murphy) were thrown into the mix along with new number one contender, Grace Rourke, to determine who the true champion is. Despite a valiant effort, Frankie was unable to come away with the victory, and Cordelia found a way to reclaim the belt that she held last, getting the pin over Rourke. The finale of this match was also viewed personally by Fixx as she came out to watch the ending. Could she be next in line to challenge for the title?
And then it was the men's turn. The Japanese Seaman came into this match against challengers Jay Adams and Johnny Diamond on a tremendous singles winning streak, but it was not to be on this night. All three men put on a tremendous effort for this Superbrawl event, and only one could come out on top. It was a fight that saw Diamond injure the Seaman's knee, as well as Jay Adams take some serious bumps from the champion. After it was all said and done, it was the Weapon of Mass Destruction walking away with the Undisputed Championship over his shoulder, gaining the pin after a WMD on the Seaman himself. The Jay Adams era has officially began... God help us!
Finally, after months of back and forth action between Giovanni Valentino and Dante West, as well as the nearly year-long feud between West and former XHW part-owner Hendrix Walker, the three were forced into the unforgiving Hell in a Cell to settle their differences. With Hogan Cage looking over the match, and several appearances from significant others (Lucy Logan, Dakota Burrows) and friends (Cordelia Murphy, Shaun Levy, Jakk Levy), it seems like this one will be nearly impossible to overcome for Match of the Year honors. Add the stipulation that the loser leaves the XHW, and the drama could not have been greater. In the end, a broken and nearly immobile Dante West found a way to use Giovanni as extra weight to keep the Enforcer's shoulder down on the mat, getting himself the win and sending Hendrix Walker packing from the federation. From part-owner to unemployed in under a week? That's how things can happen here in the greatest wrestling organization in the world! I'd like to out my personal well-wishes to Dante West as he embarks on his retirement, and want to let him know that all of us backstage are... well... pulling for him. It will also be interesting to see where Valentino goes from here, seeing as how he's the "sole survivor" of this hellacious Superbrawl II main event.
With all that wrapped up, we're pulling out of the biggest show of the year with a full head of steam! Here's what's going on in backstage news...
For those of you who didn't catch the last Anarchy before Superbrawl II, we saw a rather unique moment when newcomer Wesley Burns accidentally lit Bronko Allen on fire and earned his first victory. After the match, Alyx Gates tracked down the rookie and had a few words with him...
Also on that Anarchy, we saw Jimm Red come out to support former ally, North Starr, in his mind games against rival Asylum. The rest of the Next Generation was none too happy about it, and the cameras caught J.T. Cash sending that message personally to Red. Cash also met up with Draven Torette to remind him that he hasn't forgotten about his former championship, and that he'll be coming for it soon enough (in addition to going to Claire Logan to try and get a #1 contender's match for the belt). Later on in the week, new XHW fast-riser Talia stopped by to enjoy the Next Generation's company.
It looks like the NextGen members aren't the only ones upset with the new help that Starr and Asylum have found. Mav Harley took it personal when Asylum got Alyx Gates and Roxas Knoxx to help him out, and he wasn't shy about letting him know about it. Mav also had a heart-to-heart with Roxas Knoxx about her match against BlkOut at XAA, letting her know that he'd be there for her. In other BlkOut news, North Starr got an earful about Red from the bad attitude star, none too happy about the situation. Not only that, but Starr was chastised by fellow Project 242 member Claire Logan as well.
Is Mike Hoss starting to make friends after months of solitude? He might be. It looks like he and kindred dark soul sIMON had a chat at a local haunt recently. Of course, Hoss also found time before Superbrawl II weekend to get together with lo-ike interest Tyler Kiss. In other news, sIMON certainly hasn't been welcomed into the Project 242 fold just yet. He and North Starr can't even seem to coexist, as seen backstage recently when preparing to head to Boston for Superbrawl II weekend.
Before we found out that Awesome Kong is indeed the "it" that Margaret-Anne York has been speaking of, Jimm Red tried to pry it out of her himself, also insinuating that "it" will have to go through him first to get a shot at that coveted X-Core title.
The Dante West farewell talks got an interesting turn when he bumped into Shaun Levy backstage, on hand for his Hall of Fame induction in Boston. The two XHW legends shared stories, laughed, and talked retirement.
Dakota Burrows hasn't been seen much recently after her bout with the flu. However, she did find time to have a brief chat with Johnny Diamond about... business. She also had a little more extended talk with the man with the plan, J.T. Cash.
Could the first challenger to Jay Adams' brand new Undisputed Championship be fan favorite and recent XHW return, Roger Reinhardt? The two tossed the idea about in a chat before Superbrawl II, and since Reinhardt's not currently in a division, I think this is entirely possible!
A couple notes popped up on XHW.com just after Superbrawl II ended. For those of you who haven't heard yet, Christian Cage, Leon Washington of the Lynch Mob, and the Japanese Seaman suffered severe injuries at the big show. Mav Harley is also pretty beat up after attempting to help Roxas Knoxx in her match against BlkOut, but he might to able to go by next Saturday. Also, it appears that Claire Logan has been left in charge of Wednesday Night Warzone after sister Lucy has seemingly vanished along with her husband Hendrix Walker. God help us.
Also after Superbrawl II ended, Reinhardt bumped into new arrival Awesome Kong. It was a surprisingly upbeat conversation, and more or less established Kong's intentions here in the XHW.
It didn't take long for Doc Hammer to be hunted down after winning the Anarchy Championship. Both North Starr and Johnny Blade stopped by to catch up with the new title holder merely two days after he won the belt.
Koby Adams is back in the XHW after much speculation over his return. We had heard rumors all week about him being backstage, but were never quite able to catch him. However, after spotting him being shafted by Jay Adams after his Undisputed Championship win, Koby and Diego Cortez were seen talking family and wrestling in the hotel bar in Boston. Also, big cousin Jay was seen being helped backstage by wife FiXX as the two were heading out to celebrate his big victory.
Could Wesley Burns be creating enemies already? It looks like he doesn't have a fan in J.T. Cash. The two were seen backstage during the show at Superbrawl II, and Cash displayed that typical disrespectful attitude toward the newcomer, and it looked like they might come to blows...
What now? That's the question on Ben Hampton's mind after both his clients have gone down with knee injuries (Rob Gunn and the Japanese Seaman). Asylum sat down with the Manager of the Year outside the TD BankNorth Garden to talk about it. He (Asylum) also caught up with Alex Homme after the dead man's return to see what exactly he's all about. Homme was also seen with Claire Logan in a rather interesting encounter in Lucy Walker's office...
That's it for backstage news. Here's the card for this week's Warzone.
- The opening match sees some X-Core action as it appears that the division will have some serious competition in determining the new #1 contender to Draven Torette's belt. In this match-up, we'll see Johnny Sniper (coming off that vicious feud with Aston Michaels) and Daman Arress go at it.
- In the first of two women's division match-ups of the night, Casey Blue, who hasn't seen action in quite a while, will take on Grace Rourke, who's coming off that tough Undisputed Women's Championship loss at Superbrawl II.
- The second of three X-Core Divisional matches of the night will pit more recent #1 contender Scott Walker against the man next-closest to the title, Jimm Red.
- Our other women's division match will pit the so-far-undefeated Talia Arroyo against Razor Stiletto member Casey Dodge. This one looks like an interesting bout to me...
- If J.T. Cash wants to get that X-Core Championship shot, he'll have to take his first step against fellow division member Aston Michaels. No doubt both men have championship dreams, but one will be in a much better position after Wednesday.
- In the night's main event, Eddie Rourke will be coming out with his Universal Championship for the first time, and he's pitted against championship hopeful Joe Riggs in a non-title match. Could we be seeing a pay-per-view preview?
That's all I've got for this installment, folks. Join me next time as I wrap up Warzone and give you a preview of the next Saturday Night Anarchy! See you next time, and as always, thanks for indulging me!
First off, we had the Xtreme All Access pre-show on Saturday Night. It was a night that saw many feuds end, and some new stars continue to stake their claim...
In the night's opener, I think we ALL got a surprise with a rather brutal debut match for two Anarchy newcomers: Jezter and Joseph Woods. The two battled back and forth in a blood-spilling brawl that ended with Woods coming out on top. He wraps this one up with his vicious-looking "Texas Torture Rack"... No doubt there's more to come from these two gentlemen as they get their XHW careers under way.
The brutality didn't end in the second match as Anarchy rookie sIMON continues to impress. Claiming the victory over fellow Anarchist "The Chance" as well as X-Core member Alyx Gates, sIMON treated the Boston faithful to another version of his "Art or Anarchy" display. After wrapping a steel chain around the head and eyes of Alyx Gates, he, Ariel, and Jacob Widmore retreated to the back. Is anyone going to put a stop to this guy and his bizarre... work?
With a certain maniacal clown still on his mind, Reno Drake punished Caden Banks just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even after the bell, Drake refused to release his Wisconsin Death Trap, sending a message to Mr. Jingles.
Not only did BlkOut deliver on his promise to destroy Roxas Knoxx, he did it in sickening fashion. He beat her from pillar to post... with pillar and post. Knoxx was able to get one or two shots in, but it was never enough to make anyone think that she had a chance. Even with Maverick Harley making an appearance, BlkOut still found a way to fend him off, bludgeoning him with a screwdriver in the face before pinning Mav's love interest. More on this situation later...
Victor Mason and Kurt Angle finally got that submission match that the two were clamoring for. It seemed like a relatively back and forth affair between the two until Angle got the upper hand, trapping Mason in that Ankle-Lock that's damn near impossible to escape. After it was all over, however, the promise made to me earlier in the week was delivered. On his way up the entry ramp, Angle was attacked by Taz, getting taken down by the Tazmission... You can only guess what's going to happen between these two former rivals...
A new champion was born on Saturday night as well. In the first of many Anarchy rules matches to come, Doc Hammer pinned Johnny Blade to become the first ever Anarchy Champion. It was a real barn-burner for those hardcore fans, and it had everything from steel chairs to kendo sticks to a Hammer Down onto brass tacks. I can't wait to see the next one of these matches!
Try, try, and try again. That would be my recommendation to Diego Cortez after he failed against Mr. Jingles one-on-one for the second time. Anarchy's premier clown found a way to retain the Bronx Championship after a valiant effort from the Spaniard, showing that he has what it takes to stay at the top of the ladder when it comes to Saturday nights.
In the night's main event, the reigning XHW Tornado Tag Team Champions effectively put an end to any dispute that they are the cream of the crop when it comes to tag teams in the federation, if not the industry. It was a good effort from all three challengers (the DragonGate Clan, the Sheglins, and the Lynch Mob), but as they seem to do time and time again, Excessive Force retained. Will this heal the rifts between them over Hoss's recent relationship with Tyler Kiss, or will it simply delay the inevitable? Of course, perhaps we should ask a little more relevant, harder to answer question: who's next?
And then... it was time for the big show. It seemed like forever until Sunday rolled around, but when it did, Superbrawl II did not disappoint.
The night started with Giovanni Valentino coming out to remind us all one more time how great he is, only to be interrupted by the man that lets his actions do the talking: Hendrix Walker. It set the tone for a truly intense, electric night.
In the first match of the night, Aston Michaels and Johnny Sniper came out to finish their months-long feud. It was an all out brawl that saw both men kick out of finishing moves, and it seemed like neither of them would ever give up. In the end, however, someone had to go down, and after Sniper passed out with Aston locking in the sharpshooter, this one was all over. Hopefully this gave both men a little more respect for each other, it certainly showed me that they're determined to win.
The battle of the sexes was probably one of the more entertaining bouts of the night as the team of Razor Stiletto (Casey Dodge, O.D.B., and Tyler Kiss) took on Team Diver (Dirk Diver, Billy Coop, and the Iron Sheik). This had everything from low blows to french kisses and all that goes in between. In the end, it was the ladies coming out on top (no pun intended) as Tyler got the pin on Dirk. Maybe this one will put Diver in his place... but somehow I doubt it!
If not for the epic main event, the battle between North Starr and Asylum might have been the biggest grudge match of the night. After being tortured for years over his wife's death, Asylum fought to free the woman that he thought was his wife, seemingly back from the dead, only to find out after defeating North Starr that it was a look-alike, yet another cruel trick from his bitter nemesis. Is this one finally over, or will Asylum be looking to end North Starr in the XHW once and for all?
Who didn't see this coming? When J.T. Cash called out Rob Gunn for their previously scheduled match (BEFORE Gunn was taken out by the Next Generation), the worldwide audience thought Gunn would show since his music started to play. However, it was all just another ploy from Cash. Despite George Daniels, veteran XHW announcer, trying to chastise Cash for the move, he was promptly put in his place and Cash forced a referee to come down to the ring and count Gunn out, giving the Next Generation his "hard earned" victory... When Gunn comes back, this clown's going to have hell to pay.
Early on in the night, Ethan Price was confronted by Mike Hoss over who exactly the "Unknown Solider" is that keeps attacking him. Price refused to give up the information for fear of the Solider himself, and Hoss was promptly laid out by some knuckle dusters. Later, Price came out to introduce the world to his solider, revealing him as the long-thought-dead Alex Homme. Apparently the Hardcore Icon is back to claim his place as Mr. Hardcore in the XHW once again, taking offense to Hoss assuming that handle. I think it's safe to say there are a whole lot of questions that still need answering here...
Being Superbrawl II, almost every match deserved match of the night honors, and Christian Cage vs. Reinhardt in the Street Fight was no different. Both of these men gave it all that they had throughout this bout, and thankfully we didn't see any outside interference (call that J.B.L. incident what you will...). After it was all said and done, it was a worn out Reinhardt delivering a Hardt Burn onto a trolley for the pin.
In a match that pretty much saw action from almost every X-Core division member, the fatal fourway two fall X-Core and Universal Championship brawl saw one belt stay right where it was while the other moved on somewhere new. Draven Torette retained his X-Core title while pinned Scott Walker as he was locked in a Boston Crab by Eddie Rourke, and after interference from two more X-Core hopefuls (J.T. Cash and Daman Arress, who both stated their intent for the title earlier through the night), Rourke found a way to hit the Cutt Off on Turbine to win the Universal Championship. But it wasn't over then, after it was all said and done, we finally got the answer to Margaret-Anne York's "it" promotion, revealing that the Amazing Kong has come to the XHW!
It was a moment of glory for two fabled XHW superstars, Sara Foxx and Shaun Levy, as the two were inducted into the XHW Hall of Fame on Sunday. Foxx was inducted by her good friend and fellow Englishwoman Grace Rourke, while the man formerly known as the Boogie Man and Syxx66 was inducted by his nephew and former XHW Undisputed Champion in his own right, Jakk Levy. It was truly a great moment for both individuals, and a real treat for the XHW fans to see them in the ring one more time.
Finally it was time for the women to have their time in the ring as the Undisputed Women's Championship was set to be decided after being vacated at Full Throttle. Both women involved in that decision (Frankie Adams and Cordelia Murphy) were thrown into the mix along with new number one contender, Grace Rourke, to determine who the true champion is. Despite a valiant effort, Frankie was unable to come away with the victory, and Cordelia found a way to reclaim the belt that she held last, getting the pin over Rourke. The finale of this match was also viewed personally by Fixx as she came out to watch the ending. Could she be next in line to challenge for the title?
And then it was the men's turn. The Japanese Seaman came into this match against challengers Jay Adams and Johnny Diamond on a tremendous singles winning streak, but it was not to be on this night. All three men put on a tremendous effort for this Superbrawl event, and only one could come out on top. It was a fight that saw Diamond injure the Seaman's knee, as well as Jay Adams take some serious bumps from the champion. After it was all said and done, it was the Weapon of Mass Destruction walking away with the Undisputed Championship over his shoulder, gaining the pin after a WMD on the Seaman himself. The Jay Adams era has officially began... God help us!
Finally, after months of back and forth action between Giovanni Valentino and Dante West, as well as the nearly year-long feud between West and former XHW part-owner Hendrix Walker, the three were forced into the unforgiving Hell in a Cell to settle their differences. With Hogan Cage looking over the match, and several appearances from significant others (Lucy Logan, Dakota Burrows) and friends (Cordelia Murphy, Shaun Levy, Jakk Levy), it seems like this one will be nearly impossible to overcome for Match of the Year honors. Add the stipulation that the loser leaves the XHW, and the drama could not have been greater. In the end, a broken and nearly immobile Dante West found a way to use Giovanni as extra weight to keep the Enforcer's shoulder down on the mat, getting himself the win and sending Hendrix Walker packing from the federation. From part-owner to unemployed in under a week? That's how things can happen here in the greatest wrestling organization in the world! I'd like to out my personal well-wishes to Dante West as he embarks on his retirement, and want to let him know that all of us backstage are... well... pulling for him. It will also be interesting to see where Valentino goes from here, seeing as how he's the "sole survivor" of this hellacious Superbrawl II main event.
With all that wrapped up, we're pulling out of the biggest show of the year with a full head of steam! Here's what's going on in backstage news...
For those of you who didn't catch the last Anarchy before Superbrawl II, we saw a rather unique moment when newcomer Wesley Burns accidentally lit Bronko Allen on fire and earned his first victory. After the match, Alyx Gates tracked down the rookie and had a few words with him...
Also on that Anarchy, we saw Jimm Red come out to support former ally, North Starr, in his mind games against rival Asylum. The rest of the Next Generation was none too happy about it, and the cameras caught J.T. Cash sending that message personally to Red. Cash also met up with Draven Torette to remind him that he hasn't forgotten about his former championship, and that he'll be coming for it soon enough (in addition to going to Claire Logan to try and get a #1 contender's match for the belt). Later on in the week, new XHW fast-riser Talia stopped by to enjoy the Next Generation's company.
It looks like the NextGen members aren't the only ones upset with the new help that Starr and Asylum have found. Mav Harley took it personal when Asylum got Alyx Gates and Roxas Knoxx to help him out, and he wasn't shy about letting him know about it. Mav also had a heart-to-heart with Roxas Knoxx about her match against BlkOut at XAA, letting her know that he'd be there for her. In other BlkOut news, North Starr got an earful about Red from the bad attitude star, none too happy about the situation. Not only that, but Starr was chastised by fellow Project 242 member Claire Logan as well.
Is Mike Hoss starting to make friends after months of solitude? He might be. It looks like he and kindred dark soul sIMON had a chat at a local haunt recently. Of course, Hoss also found time before Superbrawl II weekend to get together with lo-ike interest Tyler Kiss. In other news, sIMON certainly hasn't been welcomed into the Project 242 fold just yet. He and North Starr can't even seem to coexist, as seen backstage recently when preparing to head to Boston for Superbrawl II weekend.
Before we found out that Awesome Kong is indeed the "it" that Margaret-Anne York has been speaking of, Jimm Red tried to pry it out of her himself, also insinuating that "it" will have to go through him first to get a shot at that coveted X-Core title.
The Dante West farewell talks got an interesting turn when he bumped into Shaun Levy backstage, on hand for his Hall of Fame induction in Boston. The two XHW legends shared stories, laughed, and talked retirement.
Dakota Burrows hasn't been seen much recently after her bout with the flu. However, she did find time to have a brief chat with Johnny Diamond about... business. She also had a little more extended talk with the man with the plan, J.T. Cash.
Could the first challenger to Jay Adams' brand new Undisputed Championship be fan favorite and recent XHW return, Roger Reinhardt? The two tossed the idea about in a chat before Superbrawl II, and since Reinhardt's not currently in a division, I think this is entirely possible!
A couple notes popped up on XHW.com just after Superbrawl II ended. For those of you who haven't heard yet, Christian Cage, Leon Washington of the Lynch Mob, and the Japanese Seaman suffered severe injuries at the big show. Mav Harley is also pretty beat up after attempting to help Roxas Knoxx in her match against BlkOut, but he might to able to go by next Saturday. Also, it appears that Claire Logan has been left in charge of Wednesday Night Warzone after sister Lucy has seemingly vanished along with her husband Hendrix Walker. God help us.
Also after Superbrawl II ended, Reinhardt bumped into new arrival Awesome Kong. It was a surprisingly upbeat conversation, and more or less established Kong's intentions here in the XHW.
It didn't take long for Doc Hammer to be hunted down after winning the Anarchy Championship. Both North Starr and Johnny Blade stopped by to catch up with the new title holder merely two days after he won the belt.
Koby Adams is back in the XHW after much speculation over his return. We had heard rumors all week about him being backstage, but were never quite able to catch him. However, after spotting him being shafted by Jay Adams after his Undisputed Championship win, Koby and Diego Cortez were seen talking family and wrestling in the hotel bar in Boston. Also, big cousin Jay was seen being helped backstage by wife FiXX as the two were heading out to celebrate his big victory.
Could Wesley Burns be creating enemies already? It looks like he doesn't have a fan in J.T. Cash. The two were seen backstage during the show at Superbrawl II, and Cash displayed that typical disrespectful attitude toward the newcomer, and it looked like they might come to blows...
What now? That's the question on Ben Hampton's mind after both his clients have gone down with knee injuries (Rob Gunn and the Japanese Seaman). Asylum sat down with the Manager of the Year outside the TD BankNorth Garden to talk about it. He (Asylum) also caught up with Alex Homme after the dead man's return to see what exactly he's all about. Homme was also seen with Claire Logan in a rather interesting encounter in Lucy Walker's office...
That's it for backstage news. Here's the card for this week's Warzone.
- The opening match sees some X-Core action as it appears that the division will have some serious competition in determining the new #1 contender to Draven Torette's belt. In this match-up, we'll see Johnny Sniper (coming off that vicious feud with Aston Michaels) and Daman Arress go at it.
- In the first of two women's division match-ups of the night, Casey Blue, who hasn't seen action in quite a while, will take on Grace Rourke, who's coming off that tough Undisputed Women's Championship loss at Superbrawl II.
- The second of three X-Core Divisional matches of the night will pit more recent #1 contender Scott Walker against the man next-closest to the title, Jimm Red.
- Our other women's division match will pit the so-far-undefeated Talia Arroyo against Razor Stiletto member Casey Dodge. This one looks like an interesting bout to me...
- If J.T. Cash wants to get that X-Core Championship shot, he'll have to take his first step against fellow division member Aston Michaels. No doubt both men have championship dreams, but one will be in a much better position after Wednesday.
- In the night's main event, Eddie Rourke will be coming out with his Universal Championship for the first time, and he's pitted against championship hopeful Joe Riggs in a non-title match. Could we be seeing a pay-per-view preview?
That's all I've got for this installment, folks. Join me next time as I wrap up Warzone and give you a preview of the next Saturday Night Anarchy! See you next time, and as always, thanks for indulging me!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
How Juicy...
Hey there, snakes and scorpions. We're midway through Superbrawl II week here, and I just wanted to fill you all in on a juicy little tidbit that I heard backstage (from a source that I will not reveal). It turns out that this weekend, on Xtreme All Access, we're going to see a brand new XHW star emerge. However... this won't be a new star to everyone: it's going to be an established, well-known superstar from the annals of wrestling history. Without revealing too much, I can tell you that it's going to be a former ECW Television and Heavyweight Champion, and a man that's sure to make an impact on the XHW roster when he finally arrives. Could this be Margaret-Anne York's "it"? Could it be the mysterious figure that's been tormenting Mike Hoss? Only time will tell, but I can assure you that you won't be disappointed! That's all I've got for now. And if you hear anything, give me a buzz! Thanks for indulging me, even it was just for a brief time...
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