The September Challenge

[HailtotheYo]

I suppose I could do this instead of starting WCW'91 up again, as a WarGames match was on the horizon there. Yeah, count me in.

That is a horrible idea clearly you need to be starting wcw'91 up again and not kicking my ass in this .... clairly

[Bigal]

I'd like in, please.

[JStarr]

Just realized I could let people know who's in and who's out, eh?

13 entries, I'll go ahead and name 3 alternates. Getting a complete entry in will guarantee the alternates 5 points, whether they're needed or not.

Main 10:

Doughnut

Downward Spiral

L.C.S.

HttK

450_Splash

Essa

Sousa

NBT

MBTM

Bigal

Alternates:

MDP

kiss 2 kill

X-Sat

And to boot, I already have one entry in. Now that's turnaround time. (Y) Remember the 26th is deadline day, and if you're out, hope the alternates step up.

[Man Behind the Mask]

War Games.

If you come from under a rock, it's two teams of five in a double-ring match, both rings covered by one cage.

Please can I have a quick clarification before most of us start?

The majority of the war games matches that took place in WCW were four on four. Is it ok to go with this format rather than the original five on five as you suggested above?

[JStarr]

War Games.

If you come from under a rock, it's two teams of five in a double-ring match, both rings covered by one cage.

Please can I have a quick clarification before most of us start?

The majority of the war games matches that took place in WCW were four on four. Is it ok to go with this format rather than the original five on five as you suggested above?

Okay, I may have cross-bred War Games with Survivor Series. Either or will work just fine.

And I will head back under my own rock.

[MDP]

Just curious, why am I an alternate?

[Sousa]

Survivor Series was often four vs. four as well, JStarr.

That's a big goddamn rock, isn't it.

[9 to 5]

Bah, I missed out.

[FireDoughnut]

Just curious, why am I an alternate?

For when I drop out...

[Kiss 2 Kill]

So I still write something and send it in, right?

[JStarr]

So I still write something and send it in, right?

If you want points, yes. If not, no harm.

[Essa]

Starr, let somebody take my spot. I'd rather concentrate on my diary right now.

[Campbell]

Can I have a go at this challenge, or is it too late to enter?

[JStarr]

Can I have a go at this challenge, or is it too late to enter?

Sorry, Campbell, it's long since passed.

[Campbell]

No danger.

Good luck to everybody who enters, I shall be watching

[JStarr]

Just realized I could let people know who's in and who's out, eh?

13 entries, I'll go ahead and name 3 alternates. Getting a complete entry in will guarantee the alternates 5 points, whether they're needed or not.

Main 10:

Doughnut

Downward Spiral

L.C.S.

HttK

450_Splash

Essa

Sousa

NBT

MBTM

Bigal

Alternates:

MDP

kiss 2 kill

X-Sat

And to boot, I already have one entry in. Now that's turnaround time. (Y) Remember the 26th is deadline day, and if you're out, hope the alternates step up.

Eight days left, and I've gotten one additional entry for a grand total of...two.

Just nagging.

[FireDoughnut]

The deadline is tonight; right?

[JStarr]

The deadline is tonight; right?

Yessir.

[JStarr]

All right, deadline's passed, and I got six out of 10 entries. And no alternates. Ah well. The four main entrants who failed to get work in can avoid the five-day silencing treatment IF AND ONLY IF they offer some in-depth feedback on all six of the provided entries and vote for their winner.

For the rest of you, I'd like to encourage you to feedback these entries as well. Like in the Sousa/IDOL battle, those of you who post feedback with a vote will score a bonus point for the entry you choose.

And without further blathering on my part, we lead off with an entry that's not exactly "historical," per se, but creates a very intriguing interpromotional war through Dome history.

================================================================================

Entry #1:

Last Alliance of Wrestling vs. Golden Boy Wrestling

[brad Hunter, Charlemagne, Scythe (w/ Dorian Gray) & Vance Nevada (w/ XTC) vs. Golden Boy, Cassidy O’Reilly, JC Ice and Azrael]

The arena has fallen into a hush whilst the rings are prepared for the main event. The crew all smack at each side of the cage, both testing their work and demonstrating the lack of give in the punishing steel structure. As the technicians step away, the fans buzz in anticipation for the fighters in this potentially epic match. The stirring and awe-inspiring piece of oratory from Golden Boy earlier in the show seemed to turn the majority in GBW’s favour and this is proven by the crowd reaction as the LAW wrestlers make their way to the ring first.

Amidst a shower of jeers and boos, the massive and intimidating Scythe leads the group, his malevolent manager Dorian Grey constantly craning up to whisper in his ear. Brad Hunter follows the pair, his nose turned up to the fans as he focuses with proud arrogance on his American flag. Behind him comes Charlemagne, a powerful force wrapped in clothes straight from the middle-ages, with a look of determination on his face. In sharp contrast, the final member of the team is Vance Nevada. Nevada, accompanied as ever by XTC, looks completely relaxed in his lurid outfit. Vance takes up a seat in a deckchair at ringside, pulls his sunglasses over his eyes and chills out as Hunter, Charlemagne and Grey discuss tactics. They all have an air of confidence following their victory in the coin toss which means their second man will be third into the cage.

The fans are euphoric as Golden Boy’s theme hits and he leads his team out to the ring, slapping hands with the fans. Azrael moves purposefully several steps behind his team-mates, his hooded head bowed. In a way reminiscent of the period following his long forgotten heel turn, Cassidy O’Reilly follows a rapping wrestler. JC Ice has a mic.

”Yo, yo yo! Cut the music and give a dawg a beat!

We headin’ fo’ a win in tha big war game,

These LAW S.O.Bs won’t e’er be tha same,

They treadin’ on our turf, an’ they steppin’ in our ring,

We’ll be locked inside a cage to end the whole damn thing.

I see Vance Nevada has his cute fuzzy dice,

He go’n need all his luck when he faces JC Ice.

Big bad man Scythe’s in the house with nasty Dorian Gray,

He may be tough, but this here gansta gonna take him out today.

Old Charlie’s life went down the drain, when he got burned by his chick,

Well tonight he go’n get burned again, by a Spinnin’ Ghetto Kick.

Brad Hunter thinks he’s the only patriot in this whole damn place,

We’ll see if he still waves the flag once he taps in my Crossface.

This gang of losers think they mean ‘cos they beat the NWA,

Well these dumb punks should listen up, I got one more thing to say,

I done sum diggin’, checked it out, and found the LAW boys suck!

While me and my GBW crew are all ready to… “

He holds the mic in front of a somewhat surprised Cassidy O’Reilly

”Errm… rawk!?!”

Brad Hunter seems distinctly displeased as he steps through the cage door and into the first ring. In the opposite corner, the GBW team break away from their huddle and it is Azrael who tosses down his cowl and steps through the ropes as the bell rings to start the match. Hunter’s eyes widen and he immediately turns around and goes back to his teammates. They are insistent that he begins, but pass him his flag. Hunter returns to the centre of the ring, refusing to meet Azrael’s powerful stare, and waves Old Glory above his head. The fans are not impressed, and let him know their feelings. With the clock already ticking, and knowing that he will soon have to suffer a numerical disadvantage, Azrael has no time for these shenanigans. He vaults onto the middle of the top rope in his ring and springboards through the air to crash down on Hunter. Azrael is up first, and he picks up the flag himself, this time to a big cheer. Rather than wave it, the satanic warrior brings it down hard across Brad Hunter’s back, landing multiple stinging blows before the wooden pole gives way.

As Azrael throws away the remnant of his weapon, Hunter begins to crawl for safety as he is unable to struggle to his feet. Hunter makes his way on all fours through the ropes into the second (“GBW”) ring, but his opponent scales the turnbuckle, leaping off to land a crushing legdrop to the back of the LAW wrestler’s head. With over three minutes of two-on-two action remaining, Brad Hunter could be decimated before he receives any help, but instead he turns the match around. Azrael moves in to pick up Hunter, but takes a brutal low blow that has him curled up on the mat. Hunter wastes no time in slowing things down with a headlock, as Azrael gasps for breath and clutches his lower abdomen. The break in the action gives the commentary team a chance to highlight the tactics of the match. As well as having the coin-toss advantage, LAW have a larger team of wrestlers, with Scythe and Charlemagne the biggest men in the match. On the other hand, the announcers suggest that conditioning may work in favour of the smaller GBW wrestlers in this long bout. They conclude that the submission skills of the GBW wrestlers may also be superior, particularly the incredible mat skills of Golden Boy, but that this will only be of any consequence if they can survive long enough to use them once all the wrestlers are in the ring.

Azrael has attempted to escape a couple of times, each time to be denied as Hunter tugs at his hair to pull him back down, before the rallying cries of the crowd help the GBW representative back to his feet. He elbows out of the hold and rebounds off the ropes, but Hunter is there to meet him with a powerful clothesline, as the match moves into its fourth minute. Having taken control, the One True Patriot struts around the ring before dropping an elbow at the prostrate Azrael. The fan favourite has moved out of the way, and bounces back off the ropes with a basement dropkick to kickstart another burst of offence. Azrael mounts his opponent, and Hunter can only cover up underneath a flurry of fists as the clock ticks down.

5...4...3...2...1!

Charlemagne bursts through the door, but Azrael has already moved to meet him. They each throw punches in the first ring, Charlemagne eventually thumping Azrael to the mat with a brutal backhand blow. The gothic wrestler maintains his high energy approach, kicking away at Char’s legs while he is down, and then rolling back to his feet to launch a clothesline of his own. The LAW knight staggers, but Azrael does not follow up, as he has turned his attention to Brad Hunter moving in on the blindside. Hunter blocks a punch and replies with an irish whip that sends Azrael straight into a vicious big boot from Charlemagne. With crowd heat ringing in their ears, the two LAW wrestlers pick up Azrael and force him into the corner.

Hunter stumbles back towards the centre of the ring, while Charlemagne takes his time laying in a series of hard elbows and knee lifts. With Azrael slumped over the ropes, Char steps away and Brad Hunter charges back into the action with a hard clothesline that leaves the GBW wrestler collapsed in the corner. Azrael is picked up once more, and this time his opponents’ intentions are even more malicious. They loft him onto their shoulders and charge at the other side of the ring, launching him into the cold hard steel cell like a dart. Not content with their assault, Char and Hunter lift Azrael again and repeat the attack on the other side of the ring. With the two minute handicap nearly up, Azrael is subjected to a third vicious collision with the cage wall.

5...4...3...2...1!

The crowd bursts into delight as JC Ice is the next wrestler into the match. Charlemagne and Hunter have abandoned the fallen Azrael, and cross into the second ring to meet the GBW ‘gangsta’ as he comes into the cage. Ice leaps to throw an elbow at each of their faces to fend them off, and then follows up three rapid fire punches by whipping Brad Hunter into a corner. Charlemagne knocks the rapper down from behind, but Ice is up quickly and keeps scrapping away. A kick to the gut and a charging knee put Charlemagne on the mat and Ice raises the roof as he turns back to Brad Hunter. The patriot charges with violent intent on his mind, but Ice ducks and suddenly delivers a Spinning Ghetto Kick out of nowhere.

In the other ring, Azrael lifts his head from the mat where a small pool of blood has formed. There is a gash on his forehead from the cage assault, but the satanic GBW hero smiles as he touches the wound and sees the blood on his fingers. With the crowd solidly behind him, JC Ice returns to Charlemagne in the other ring. Char trips the smaller wrestler, quickly grabs both legs and catapults Ice over the ropes and into the steel cage. As Char grabs Ice by the hair and attempts to mash his face into the steel again, Azrael has struggled to his feet and staggered along the ropes towards the second ring. With Brad Hunter still prone on the mat, Azrael climbs the turnbuckle once again. The gothic babyface leaps with an elbowdrop, but Charlemagne rescues his partner by yanking him out of the way.

There is no rest in this match, though, as JC Ice once more goes on the attack against the much larger LAW wrestler, trying to chop him down with kicks to the legs. Char pushes Ice away with a strong shove, but JC comes back for more. This time, Char drags Ice in close, hits a back elbow and then fires him off with an irish whip looking for another big boot. Ice ducks the blow and charges back from the next ropes with Azrael at his side. The two GBW wrestlers work together to take Charlemagne down with a double clothesline, leaving them as the only two men standing as the clock ticks down once more.

5...4...3...2...1!

Vance Nevada remains unmoved, relaxing at ringside, and it is Scythe who is next to enter for the LAW team. Dorian Grey is animated in his support on the outside, while XTC continues to argue with the front-row fans. Ice and Azrael move in together, hitting punches and kicks on Scythe for all their worth, but the emotionless monster is barely phased. Scythe surges forward, lifting Azrael off his feet and powering him into the corner. Azrael again slumps against the buckles, the ropes keeping him up as his face becomes increasingly crimson. Scythe lofts JC Ice into the air and hammers him back to the mat with a bodyslam, as his teammates both move slowly back to the first ring to press home their numerical advantage.

Ice gets to his feet and backs into the corner with both hands held out and a look of fear on his face. He looks at each of his opponents in turn as he counts to three with the fingers on his left hand. He turns his right hand around and produces just one digit, grinning somewhat maniacally as he matches the extended middle finger with his other hand to a large crowd pop. He drops the double-bird and charges frantically at the LAW wrestlers, getting in some good shots but ultimately the numerical and size disadvantages see him clobbered. Charlemagne peels away to further punish Azrael in the corner, as Scythe pounds on JC Ice in centre ring. Brad Hunter pauses while he recovers from the Spinning Ghetto Kick and match so far, but then chooses to help Hunter with the more weakened Azrael. Golden Boy paces nervously on the outside, and slaps the cage to encourage his men.

With the conclusion of the match in mind, Hunter and Char start to work over Azrael’s back, culminating in a big sidewalk slam from Charlemagne. Hunter rolls Azrael over and drops into a camel clutch, yanking up on the GBW wrestler’s chin. Charlemagne turns to see that JC Ice is back on his feet and pushing Scythe back with blows. The once honourable knight builds up a head of steam as he looks for his Charging Star finisher, but Ice throws himself out of the way at the last moment. Scythe is not so agile and he is ploughed down to the mat by his own teammate. Charlemagne holds his head in his hands and checks on his monstrous ally, as the crowd cheer and JC Ice moves across the ring to rescue Azrael with a leaping bulldog. With both Scythe and Hunter down on the mat, the next wrestler is due to enter the ring.

5...4...3...2...1!

Cassidy O’Reilly is the sixth combatant. With the noisy support of the fans, he wastes no time in pressing home the sudden advantage enjoyed by the GBW team. Ice musters up some energy to join Cassidy in an attack on Charlemagne, as Azrael again needs the ropes to assist his return to his feet. He lays stomps into Brad Hunter, before dragging him up and forcing him into the empty second ring. Cassidy’s freshness comes to the fore and Charlemagne is unable to stay on his feet as he takes a double dropkick. Ice, feeling the effects of some earlier punishment, starts to stomp away at the LAW wrestler’s shoulder and neck, while O’Reilly turns his attention to Scythe.

Cassidy reaches down to pick up Dorian Grey’s human weapon but is stunned as Scythe responds with his Touch of Death finishing move. Cassidy kicks hard at his opponent and almost hysterically chops away at his arm, forcing Scythe to release the devastating hold. Cassidy stumbles backwards, stunned, and Scythe follows up with an attack. Having knocked Cassidy down, he heads across the ring to Charlemagne, lifting Ice straight off his feet and military pressing him above his head. Scythe throws Ice over the ropes, into the side of the solid steel cage, and the rapping wrestler collapses in a heap, curled up under the ropes. Scythe lingers, aiming a blank stare at Charlemagne as he seems to be considering something, but then goes back to Cassidy O’Reilly. In the other ring, Azrael has released Hunter from a half-nelson/chinlock combination, and is scaling the ropes once more. The fans, whose excitement had built with the climb, don’t get to see what move was to come, as Charlemagne stumbles across the ring to shake the ropes. Azrael lands hard on the top buckle and slumps off to the mat again.

Scythe is holding Cassidy off the ground with a double-handed choke, as Char goes back to Ice who has now crawled back under the ropes. Ice takes three elbows to the back of the head, and then Charlemagne picks him up and thumps him against the cage once again. Char places a boot across Ice’s throat, pulling on the ropes for extra leverage. Hunter shakes off the cobwebs and once more settles into a chinlock, this time wrenching back on Azrael as hard as he can. Cassidy tries to fight out of his predicament, finally thrashing hard enough to get his feet back on the mat. Cassidy hits a dropkick, then a leg lariat, and then a low dropkick, finally dropping Scythe to a knee. This burst of offence does him little good, though, as the crowd once more count down to the next entrance.

5...4...3...2...1!

Vance Nevada rises in leisurely fashion, kisses XTC on the cheek, takes off his accessories and calmly makes his way through the cage door into the ring, ignoring the pleas of Dorian Grey to get a move on. Although Cassidy has managed to keep control of Scythe by grabbing a front facelock, Vance’s first move is to expose a turnbuckle pad in a corner of the first ring. Vance is still in no hurry as Brad Hunter picks up a wounded Azrael. Hunter steps into the centre of the ring, and Vance sends in Azrael, setting him up for the Patriot Drop. The satanist is not done, though, spinning off Hunter’s shoulders and landing a tornado DDT to reverse the move. The pop from the crowd is quickly dissipated as Nevada surprises the rising Azrael with a Triple 7. The jumping cutter smears Azrael’s blood across the mat as Vance stands up and plays to the crowd.

Vance’s next move is to give Charlemagne a hand with JC Ice. As Nevada and Charlemagne pause to consider their strategy, Ice senses the danger of the impending attack and fights back. Charlemagne is repelled with relative ease, as he has already been in the match for eight minutes, but Nevada is fresh. He cuts off Ice’s assault, and looks to hit his other finisher, a Roll the Dice. Ice blocks, and reverses out with a snap suplex. Both men return to their feet at roughly the same time, and JC Ice tries to strike again with a Spinning Ghetto kick. Nevada ducks, and Ice is taken out by Charlemagne before he recovers his balance. Vance and Char pick up Ice together and ram him hard into the cage one more time. This time, when Ice raises his head, he is also bleeding.

Vance’s final move, much to Dorian Grey’s pleasure, is to help out Scythe. Nevada hits a couple of hard blows to the back of Cassidy’s neck, and Scythe powers up from the hold. Adjusting position slightly, Scythe turns the tables on Cassidy and lifts him into a front suplex position. O’Reilly is suspended in the air for what seems like forever, as Nevada looks on with glee. Finally, Scythe brings Cassidy crashing down with a reverse suplex. The three GBW men are completely laid out in the two rings, but help is on its way as the clock counts down for the final time.

5...4...3...2...1!

This was apparently the moment the fans were waiting for, and they go ballistic as Golden Boy finally rushes into the cage. The sheer volume of noise is enough to put the LAW wrestlers on the back foot and Golden starts his frenzy with a flipping neckbreaker on Brad Hunter. Moving like lightning, Golden is up and attacking, throwing a series of punches at Charlemagne who has crossed the ropes to intercept him. A Golden whip is reversed, but the masked hero turns the tables back by springing off the middle ropes and moonsaulting back to take Charlemagne to the ground. Scythe turns away from Cassidy, and finds Golden Boy vaulting from the central ropes onto his shoulders looking for a hurricarana. Scythe blocks the move, holding Golden up for a powerbomb, but receives a series of punches to the forehead before Golden slides down his back to escape. Scythe turns around and Golden Boy shows incredible strength to pick him up (just) and drop him with a scoop slam.

With six men struggling to regain their feet, Golden Boy’s eyes meet those of the fresh Vance Nevada. Vance breaks into a broad smile, and extends his hand to Golden Boy as he crosses the ring. Golden briefly considers this bizarre offer, but is quickly on the defensive as Nevada closes the range and starts with an eye-poke. Nevada hits two punches, sends Golden in and looks for a backdrop, but the GBW franchise stops short and instead hammers Nevada into the mat with a DDT. Golden scrapes Vance up and runs him at the steel cage. He does the same with Scythe, and then also with Brad Hunter. Golden attempts to complete the set with Charlemagne, but he is blocked. Char hits a big backhand and follows a kick to gut with a knee lift, as Golden is finally put on his back.

With eight men spread over the two rings, the match becomes scrappy for a while. Wrestlers spend most of the time paired off, although bursts of two-on-one action occasionally break out as both teams attempt to wear the other down. Azrael has suffered the most up to this point, but he continues to battle with his seemingly limitless supply of stamina. Brad Hunter, on the other hand, is similarly fatigued but seeks to slow his opponent down by pinning them in a hold or lock wherever possible. Golden Boy and Vance Nevada are obviously the freshest wrestlers in the match and often make the difference as they come to rescue or assist their teammates. JC Ice has suffered from his collisions with the cage, but he continues to brawl aggressively with any opponent who he faces up to. Scythe is never the fastest mover, but he attacks even more slowly than normal in this phase of the match. Of course, any assault he does launch is particularly painful for the victim. Cassidy O’Reilly enjoys noisy support from the fans whenever he gets an advantage on an opponent, but he can rarely press this home. Charlemagne’s penchant for violence means that he utilities the cage as a weapon better than anyone, but it is he who is under assault as the match moves into its final stages.

Brad Hunter is laid out in one corner of the first ring, Cassidy and Golden Boy are outnumbering Scythe, and Vance Nevada is inflicting further punishment on Azrael. Charlemagne and JC Ice, unsurprisingly given their rather different backgrounds and viewpoints, have had many of the most heated exchanges of the match. Char tries to finally establishing dominance by bullrushing Ice into the corner where Nevada earlier removed the turnbuckle pad. Ice just gets his legs out in time to block, and then swiftly grabs Charlemagne by the head and smashes him into the exposed steel. He rears back and repeats the attack, and again as the audience begins to count along. After ten vicious shots to the metal buckle, Ice steps away and leaves Charlemagne to collapse to the mat holding his mangled face.

Scythe is fighting back against C-Rawk and Golden Boy, and is remarkably looking to deliver a simultaneous Touch of Death. However, the two GBW veterans combine well, kicking Scythe in the legs and then spinning underneath him to deliver a double back suplex. Scythe is laid out on the mat, and Golden Boy climbs the ropes. With the crowd coming alive in the background, the masked hero flies through the air to deliver a Golden Shower to the broad chest of Scythe. The GBW team’s strong advantage is quickly cut short, as Cassidy’s celebration is interrupted by a Triple 7 from the blindside by Vance Nevada. Vance is now all business, and he quickly scoops O’Reilly up and drags him to the corner, heaving him up onto the turnbuckle. He begins to climb himself, apparently looking for a Triple 7 from the top rope that would probably end Cassidy’s involvement in the match, if not stop the match itself. Golden Boy is up after his spectacular dive, though, and comes to the rescue of an incapable Cassidy just in time. Golden and Vance brawl, while Azrael and Scythe both lie motionless on the mats, and JC Ice is wearing down the shoulder and neck of Brad Hunter.

Charlemagne is up again, with blood trickling from a cut created by the multiple blows to the turnbuckle. He moves in on JC Ice with murder on his mind, taking hold of the rapping wrestler before firing him into the ropes. This time, Ice cannot avoid the big boot, and he goes down like he has been shot. Ice is pulled up from the mat and fired through the ropes into one of the doors on the side of the cage. With his opponent still insensible, Char kicks the door open, bundles Ice onto the floor and follows him out. The crowd noise grows in anticipation as Charlemagne fires Ice into the ringside railings and goes to strip the announce table. When he goes back to Ice, the rapping wrestler fights back with punches and kicks, buying himself some time. Ice picks up the nearest weapon to hand, a TV monitor pulled from the table, and takes a wild swing at Charlemagne. The clumsy blow is avoided, and the LAW wrestler hits a kick to the gut. Another kick doubles Ice over, and Charlemagne moves him into a powerbomb position. Ice is flipped into the air, but he is still holding the TV monitor. He strikes Char hard across the head, and the knight falls forward, driving them both through the ringside announce table! Neither man looks like he will get up from that tremendous impact, as the crowd chant their approval for the violence.

The Golden Boy and Vance Nevada battle is resolved as Brad Hunter struggles across to help Vance. Golden Boy is stunned and can do nothing as Hunter heaves him onto his shoulders and delivers a Patriot Drop. Hunter’s exhaustion means he cannot press home this advantage, and Nevada has something else in mind. Cassidy is still seated on the top rope, and Vance heads back to finish the business he had started earlier. He rudely slaps C-Rawk twice in the face, and then clambers up the buckles. However Cassidy has some life left in him, fighting against the intended superplex. Vance bounces O’Reilly’s head off the cage and tries to set the move up again, but Cassidy fights out, finally succeeding in moving Vance to where he wants him. The crowd gasp as they realise what is about to happen, as Cassidy pushes up and forwards, hitting an incredible Rawk Bottom from the top rope on Vance Nevada! Both men lay still as the ropes continue to shake from the huge impact.

While four of the combatants have been putting themselves out of commission, the remaining wrestlers have paired off. In one ring, Brad Hunter’s attempts to get a submission move are being thwarted by Golden Boy’s crafty reversals. Meanwhile, Azrael has been making hard work of keeping Scythe on the mat in the other ring. Blood loss and fatigue from the long bout show as he grunts with every kick and punch that he throws. Scythe, who has taken a Charging Star and a Golden Shower during the match, looks a long way from his unstoppable best. However he still fights back with a sudden burst of power. Azrael has no answer as Scythe once again lofts his opponent high in the air. Although this time there is no lengthy stalling, the impact is just as hard from the reverse suplex. Azrael tries to fight it off, but Scythe is relentless, until he finally gets a proper grip on the Touch of Death! At the same time in the other ring, Brad Hunter has given up fighting Golden Boy’s technical skills and heaves him up for a second Patriot Drop. This time, Golden is ready, and he escapes with a headscissors that sends Hunter skidding across the ring. Hunter struggles back to his knees, but is battered again with a shining wizard. Golden looks to the crowd, who respond as always, and then ties up Brad Hunter in the Goldylock!

There are two referees inside the cage now, waiting for any signal of submission so that they can award victory in this bloody war. Golden Boy might have the Goldylock cinched in, with Brad Hunter writhing in agony, but in the other ring, Scythe has trapped Azrael in the Touch of Death. Golden Boy turns to look for threats, and his eyes meet those of GBW’s satanic hero. Azrael’s stare is clear despite his mask of blood, and it is passionate and fierce. He keeps Golden’s attention as he grimaces and shakes his head, sending a clear message that he does not want any help despite the incredible suffering he is being forced to endure. The monstrous Scythe is still expressionless as his opponent becomes gradually weaker, but Golden Boy throws his masked head back as he pulls even tighter on his hold. Hunter is facing away from the rest of the action, oblivious to what is going on, as he suffers in a hold that has ended so many matches.

Cassidy O’Reilly is motionless in one corner, still in a heap with Vance Nevada after their plummet from the top rope. Charlemagne and JC Ice remain in the bloody wreckage of the announcers’ table on the outside. Most importantly, though, Azrael has now stopped moving. The referee closes in to check on him, and his arm falls once as the crowd roar their gothic hero to recover. The arm falls twice and Dorian Grey is leaping with delight outside the cage. The ref lifts Azrael’s arm one final time but the bell rings before it falls! In the other ring, Brad Hunter has been unable to endure the searing pain any longer and has tapped out, handing Golden Boy and GBW the win in this astonishing encounter.

Golden Boy releases his hold and crosses the ropes to assist Azrael, whose incredible resilience has won the day for his team. There is no further violence, as Grey has called off his monster, content to lead him to the back with Azrael obliterated in the ring.

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Entry #2:

RAW IS WAR

Monday May 10th 1999

WAR GAMES

THE CORPORATE MINISTRY (HHH, Bradshaw, Faarooq and the Big Boss Man) VS THE UNION (Mankind, The Big Show, Test and Ken Shamrock)

“Well, folks, it's been hanging over this arena like a spectre all night. Tonight is the night, that the World Wrestling Federation plays host to War Games. Those of you who have just joined us will note the unique set-up in this arena. There are not one, but two rings set up here in St. Louis tonight. And above those two rings, you will see the biggest steel cage I have ever seen. Twice as wide as the Hell In A Cell. For those who step inside, both rings will be encased in unforgiving, unflinching, chain-link steel. One week ago, that crazy son-of-a-bitch Mankind issued the challenge to the Corporate Ministry, which Shane McMahon accepted. So here we are. 2 guys will start out. Every two minutes, another man will enter the match, and so it goes until all ten guys are inside that cage. And from that point, the only way to win, is to make one member of the opposing team submit. This is the ultimate test of endurance, of strategy, and of the willingness to inflict violence. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been in this business for a long time. I have seen a lot of things. But I never thought this match, the Match Beyond, as it's known by a number of men in this business, would make it's way to the World Wrestling Federation. This is our main event, ladies and gentlemen, and I feel it is my duty to warn all of our viewers. This will not be pretty.”

With the crowd a mix of curiosity and disbelief at this NWA/WCW staple about to play out on an episode of Raw, the bell rang and the Fink re-capped the rules. After a moment's suspense, the first entrant was revealed to be... Bradshaw. The normally unflappable Texan even seemed to be taken aback by the enormity of the cage. Eventually, however, the first member of the Corporate Ministry's team stepped into the cage and into one of the two rings contained within.

With Bradshaw's entrance made, it was time for his Union counterpart to take a step towards history and become the second superstar in WWF history to compete in a WWF War Games match. The crowd's expectations were thus satiated when 'Dangerous' hit and “The World's Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock made his entrance, his eyes fixed on the Acolyte pacing the ring. Shamrock wasted no time in stepping into the cage as JR commented on the smart strategy displayed by the Union in unleashing a submissions expert early on in a match which can only be won by an opponent giving up. After Shamrock had stepped into the cage, the door was temporarily closed and locked, and the match officially began.

Faced with the prospect of five minutes alone with Shamrock, Bradshaw came out swinging, punishing Shamrock with some stiff, sharp strikes and whipping him into one of the eight turnbuckles. Shamrock, more than at home in a caged environment, responded with a take down before going after the ankle early. Bradshaw frantically rolled under the rope into the second ring. Shamrock went right after him only to receive a clubbing blow to the neck when he stepped through the ropes. Bradshaw then dropped the World's Most Dangerous Man with a neckbreaker before stomping away on Shamrock. Bradshaw brought Shamrock to his feet and delivered some knife edge chops, only for Shamrock to fire back with some lethal kicks to the thigh. Bradshaw was then taken down with a stiff crescent kick to the chest. Shamrock continued to go after Bradshaw's legs stomping away on Bradshaw's thigh, before once again going for the ankle lock. Bradshaw, however, was able to pull Shamrock into the reach of some hard-hitting right hands to break Shamrock's grip. Bradshaw gingerly got to his feet, before raking Shamrock in the eyes. Desperately trying to buy some time before the next member of his team entered, Bradshaw dragged Shamrock over to the side of the ring, looking to introduce him to the steel. Shamrock, however, managed to block the unhappy meeting and after a brief struggle, the Acolyte found his head being rammed into the steel. Shamrock then added to Bradshaw's woes by raking his flesh along the chain link, before reaching the turnbuckle and ramming Bradshaw's forehead into that. Aware that there was a mere two minutes until he found himself outnumbered, Shamrock fed Shamrock's leg through the second rope, looking once again to target Shamrock's injured limb. Bradshaw frantically tried to intervene with some elbow strikes but Shamrock weathered the onslaught and responded with some stiff forearms before delivering several hard stomps to Bradshaw's tangled knee. Shamrock then continued to torque on the knee, using the rope for extra leverage as Bradshaw cried out in pain. Eventually, Bradshaw was able to grab Shamrock by the hair and dramatically break the hold by propelling Shamrock face first through the ropes into the steel. Bradshaw extricated himself from the ropes before grabbing picking Shamrock up on the apron. Bradshaw rammed Shamrock's face into the steel, stunning the World's Most Dangerous Man. Limping slightly, Bradshaw hit the ropes and charged at Shamrock and looked for a Big Boot. Instead of crushing Shamrock's face between his boot and the cage, however, Shamrock moved out of the way and Bradshaw hit nothing but steel! Bradshaw collapsed into the ring and held his knee and ankle which Shamrock immediately zeroed in on by laying it across the bottom rope and using the ropes and the cell to lift himself up to crash down on the knee! Bradshaw rolled into the ring, clutching his knee as Shamrock roared to fire himself up. As the clock rolled down to ten seconds, Shamrock finally achieved his objective and wrapped Bradshaw's right leg into the excruciating ankle lock! Bradshaw howled out in pain as Shamrock cranked on the hold as the crowd began to chant

Five... four... THREE... TWO... ONE!

The buzzer had barely sounded when the Big Bossman came charging through the curtain (sucking not an insignificant amount of heat out of the crowd). As Bradshaw continued to howl in agony, Bossman entered the cage (nightstick in hand) and went right for Shamrock. Shamrock, however, was not so lost in the moment as to miss the numbers disadvantage and released the ankle lock in time to duck Bossman's nightstick swing. Bossman turned around to be locked in a waistlock and tossed to the mat with a belly-to-belly suplex. Shamrock, firmly on the offensive, began to put the boots to the Bossman as Bradshaw rolled out of harms way. Staying on the offensive, Shamrock continued to apply the pressure to the Bossman, whipping him into the turnbuckle. When there, Shamrock began to fire off some hard crescent kicks to the sternum. With Bossman winded, Shamrock went to whip him to the other side, only for Bossman to reverse. In Shamrock's path, however, stood Bradshaw, who scooped up the World's Most Dangerous Man. Bradshaw somehow weathered the frantic elbow strikes to the head, long enough for the Big Bossman to pick up his nightstick and crack it against Shamrock's spine. Two more sadistic shots and Shamrock's rebellion had been firmly quelled, allowing Bradshaw to back against the ropes, and propel Shamrock into the steel cage with the Last Call!

With the 'Holy Shit' chants ringing throughout the arena, Shamrock lay crumpled between the ropes and the cage as Bradshaw and Bossman shook the cobwebs out before taunting Shamrock and the fans. Shamrock, after such a hellacious impact, was beginning to quiver as JR raised concerns about the possibility of Shamrock having sustained internal injuries. The Corporate Ministry, however, had no such concerns as Bradshaw stepped through the ropes and picked Shamrock up as the clock hit 20 seconds. That gave the Big Boss Man ample time to hit the ropes and crush Shamrock's midsection between a shoulder block and the unforgiving steel. Bradshaw held Shamrock in place once again giving Bossman the opportunity to go to the well once more before the crowd began to count down...

Five... Four... THREE... TWO.... ONE!

The buzzer sounded as an ethereal female voice announced

“Test... Test... This a Test.”

The subject of the song wasted no time in sprinting down to the ring, acutely aware both of the need to save Shamrock from a beating, and to exact revenge on the Big Boss Man for mistreatment in his final days as part of the Corporation. Test immediately stepped into the first ring and made his way towards the Corporate Ministry members in the second. Bradshaw immediately went to cut him off but Test struck first and knocked Bradshaw to the mat with a stiff right hand. Boss Man, looking to buy some time, backed right away from Test as he stepped through the ropes. As Test advanced, Bossman took off, vainly trying to dodge Test and scramble through to the second ring. Test was having none of it, however, and grabbed Boss Man by the hair as he stood between the two sets of ropes. Test reared back to exact retribution on the crooked cop, only to be blindsided by Bradshaw. After a clubbing blow to the neck, Bossman was able to grab Test by the hair and hang him throat first on the top rope. Taking the initiative, Bradshaw hit the ropes and wiped Test out with a big boot. As soon as he connected, however, Bradshaw let out a cry and fell to the mat, grabbing his right leg. Bossman's eyes bulged in fury and horror as Bradshaw continued to remain on the mat, grasping his leg. Bossman screamed at Bradshaw to get up, and was so busy doing so that he failed to notice Ken Shamrock get to his feet, blood beginning to drip from his mouth. What Shamrock had in his hand, however, was Bossman's nightstick. Without once registering Shamrock's recovery, Bossman found his own nightstick wrapped around his throat as Shamrock snapped and tried to brutally choke the Bossman out (to the crowd's delight). Bossman frantically struggled as Shamrock roared as he increased the torque on the nightstick. Eventually, however, a flailing arm caught Shamrock in the midsection, causing him to release his grip on the nightstick. Coughing and spluttering, Bossman used the opening to twist in order to put Shamrock on the mat with a belly to back suplex. Shamrock's back arched the second he hit the mat and he cried out lout, grabbing his lower back and kidneys. Bossman wearily got to his feet and began to cough and try and get his breath back. That gave Test the perfect opportunity to get to his feet, and hook Bossman up for a ring-shaking Pumphandle Powerslam. As the clock hit 40 seconds, Test was the only man left standing in the ring. Bradshaw gingerly tried to get to his feet using the ropes, but Test sohwed impressive presence of mind by staying on the Texan powerhouse and putting him back on the mat with a stomp to his knee. With 30 seconds left to continue Shamrock's good work, Test dragged Bradshaw into the centre of the ring and began to hook him up for a figure four leg lock! As JR expressed his surprise at the nod towards technical prowess by Test, Bradshaw managed to get his left foot onto Test's ass and propel him face first into the steel cage. With 20 seconds left, all four men in the match were down, with Bradshaw and Test exhibiting the most signs of life.

After what seemed like an age, both men managed to pull themselves to their feet, Test still stunned from his introduction to the steel. Nevertheless, he was able to engage in a slugfest with Bradshaw and even seemed to be getting the better of the rugged brawler. But as he did so, the clock ticked mercilessly down...

Five... Four... THREE... TWO... ONE!

At the sound of the buzzer, Test not only found himself at a numbers disadvantage, but being outnumbered by a cohesive and deadly team as Bradshaw's fellow Acolyte Faarooq stomped menacingly down to the ring. Test managed to take Bradshaw down with a clothesline in the second ring as Faarooq entered the cage, and begged Test to come and join him in ring 1. Test youthfully obliged, only for Faarooq to charge and meet him with some no-nonsense punches. Test, staggered by the onslaught gave up the advantage to Faarooq who was eventually able to take the ex-Motley Cru bodyguard off his feet with a diving shoulder block. In ring 2, Bradshaw saw his fellow Acolyte grappling with Test and limped over to get him some of the action. Bradshaw held Test up while Faarooq fired off some right hands to the midsection. As the mugging continued, Ken Shamrock, who had by now begun to spit up blood violently nonetheless tried to make it to his feet to intervene on behalf of his fellow UNION-ite. Before he could step through the ropes, however, he was blindsided by the Big Bossman, who aimed his fist right at Shamrock's kidneys. Bossman then dragged Shamrock back into ring 2, whereupon the veteran enforcer locked Shamrock up in an abdominal stretch. For around a minute, the numbers advantage played itself out in the two rings, as the Acolytes began to rake Test's face across the unforgiving steel, whilst the Bossman continued to cause Shamrock to cry out in agony with an abdominal stretch. With submission impossible until all both teams were completed, the Union members were forced to endure the Corporate Ministry's merciless assault. After what must have seemed like an age, the clock began to inch towards zero. In that time, however, Shamrock appeared to be on the verge of losing consciousness and a small trickle of blood had begun to spring forth from Test's forehead. With the Corporate Ministry aware of an imminent equalising entrant, the Acolytes stepped through to the second ring whereupon Bossman handed Shamrock over to him. As the clock hit ten, the crowd gasped in horror as Bradshaw hoisted Shamrock up to allow the Acolytes to deliver a vicious spike powerbomb. Shamrock lay crumpled and coughing up disturbing quantities of blood, the only saving grace for the Union was that the crowd had begun to count down with the clock.

Five... Four... THREE... TWO... ONE

Weeeeellllll.... well it's the Big Show!

And with that, the complexion of the match changed as the monstrous Big Show stepped out through the curtains and fixed his eyes on the dominant, but suddenly nervous Corporate Ministry. Big Show wryly smiled before heading towards the cage. Hoping to keep the Big Show out of the match, the Bossman and Faarooq raced towards the door and used their combined strength to keep the Big Show out of the cage. That failed miserably, however, as Big Show effortlessly wrenched the door from their grip before swinging it right back into their faces! With that, Big Show entered the ring to be immediately met by Bradshaw. One head butt later put the big Texan down, and the Big Show followed that up with head butts to Faarooq and the Bossman. The look of relief in Test's eyes was perfectly captured by the camera as he looked up to see the Big Show firmly in control. Suddenly, however, the three opponents managed to regroup and all pounced on the Big Show with fists flying. The Big Show seemed to drop to his knees as Test pulled himself up to try and help his partner out. That proved unnecessary, however, as Big Show suddenly exploded to a vertical base sending Bossman and the Acolytes flying into the ring. Bradshaw and Faarooq stood up only to be mown down by a double clothesline. Bossman tried to bumrush the giant but instead ran right into Big Show's huge right boot. The crowd went wild as the Big Show signalled for the Showstopper with the Corporate Ministry lying at his feet. Bradshaw and Faarooq were once again the unlucky two to step to their feet and found their throats grasped by Big Show's huge hands. The Bossman got to his feet and went to blindside the giant, but he was tackled by Test who kept Bossman grounded while pounding away on him with some stiff right hands. Meanwhile, the Acolytes failed to put up a significant resistance and found themselves dropped with a double Showstopper!

With the crowd firmly aware that there was only one Corporate Ministry member left to make an impact, the volume in the arena began to rise as the timer hit single digits...

Five... four... THREE... TWO... ONE!!!

No-one in that arena could possibly have looked any less enthused about the prospect of entering the War Games cage than Triple H. The degenerate turncoat came out through the curtain and was forced to lock eyes with the Big Show. HHH began to make his way down to the rings and reached the cage, as Big Show beckoned him to enter the Lion's Den. After testing the walls of the cage, HHH opted instead to flip the Big Show the bird and walk away from the cage. He was suddenly wiped out, however, by none other than The Rock! The crowd erupted as the Brahma Bull peppered HHH with right hands, driving him back towards the cage. When there, The Rock grabbed HHH by the hair and rammed his face into the steel before ordering the referee to open the cage. Tim White obliged and The Rock tossed HHH into the cage. HHH immediately got to his feet and tried to get back out of the cage, only to find that The Rock had personally locked the cage door. Waving goodbye to HHH, The Rock made his way back up the ramp, with the fans enthusiastically applauding his actions. Inside the cage, HHH's eyes bulged as he slowly turned around to find himself kneeling before the 7 foot tall Big Show! Desperately, HHH fired off a right hand into the giant's midsection, only for it to barely faze him. Trips was then grabbed by the hair and dragged to his feet and took a swing at HHH, which The Game barely ducked under. HHH immediately fired back with right hands to the Big Show's head. In ring two, Test was content to let the Big Show take care of business and continued to whale upon the Bossman, introducing his face to the steel repeatedly. In ring one, HHH's desperate assault had come to naught as Big Show had thrown HHH back into the centre of the ring before meeting him with a clothesline when he got to his feet. With the crowd baying for HHH's blood, Big Show satiated them by picking HHH up and sending him on a coast-to-coast ride from steel wall to steel wall, before HHH collapsed in the middle of the ring. Chuckling to himself, Big Show stood above HHH, before noticing that Bradshaw and Faarooq were beginning to stir. Show put them down with some stiff boots before turning his attention back to HHH. Big Show picked HHH up by the hair but the Cerebral Assassin responded with some frantic right hands. Big Show quelled him with a clubbing blow to the back, before whipping HHH into the ropes. HHH hit the ropes but managed to duck Show's clothesline attempt as well as a back elbow. On the third rebound, Big Show lowered his head, allowing HHH to connect with a facebuster which stunned the Big Show. HHH then hit the ropes looking to press the advantage, only to walk right into a goozle from Show. Desperately, HHH responded with a low blow, before trying to set Show up for the Pedigree. Show, however, was able to backdrop out of the move. Unfortunately for HHH, his leg hit the top of the cage and he landed awkwardly on his neck and back. Looking to compound HHH's woe, Big Show picked him up and delivered a bone-crunching sidewalk slam.

As Show got to his feet, the Acolytes finally gained the wherewithall to jump the Giant and began to rain down fists on him, with Faarooq resorting to a blatant choke to try and quell the giant. The combined onslaught had its desired effect as the Giant began to fade. In ring 2, Test went for another pumphandle slam, only for Bossman to respond with a mule kick to the nether regions, and to send Test shoulder first into the steel ringpost, before delivering a savage punt to Ken Shamrock's ribs as he got to his knees. The battle raged on as the match beyond marched towards its final phase...

Five... Four... Three... Two... One!

The sound of a car crashing and the sight of the deranged Mankind sent the crowd into a frenzy. Mrs. Foley's baby boy came out looking for a fight and one was clearly waiting for him in the ring, as the Union and the Corporate Ministry continued to brawl wildly for supremacy. Mankind set off at a run and dove into the cage and into the fray. Soon, bodies were sent flying due to the ferocity of Mankind's attack, which drove the match into the Union's favour. HHH found himself sitting in the corner as Mankind charged, using his legs and thighs to drive HHH's head into the turnbuckle. The Big Show too, managed to fight back against the Acolytes and was ably assisted by Foley in driving Bradshaw and Faarooq on the defensive. The Bossman, perhaps sensing the turning of the tide, hung back in ring two, before calmly throwing Test through the ropes into ring 1, where Shamrock had rolled in agony. Soon enough, Mankind and the Big Show threw Bradshaw and Faarooq through the ropes and into ring 2, leaving HHH all alone with the Union. With Shamrock still incapacitated, HHH ate right hands from Test, Mankind and the Big Show before the Giant picked HHH up in a military press before throwing him into ring two, taking out the Acolytes and the Bossman in his trajectory. At that, the Union stood tall in ring 1 while the Corporation tried to shake out the cobwebs in ring 2. The crowd began to pop when the bloodied Ken Shamrock showed his guts by powering to his feet and roaring, leading the King to worry whether he had 'snapped'. The Union fixed their eyes on the exhausted Corporate Ministry before Mankind gave everyone their feelgood moment by pulling out Mr. Socko before the Union advanced. Before they crossed the rings' divide, however, the lights went out, and an ominous gong sounded...

When the lights came back on, the remainder of the Corporate Ministry were standing at the top of the ramp: The Undertaker, Paul Bearer, Viscera, Mideon and Shane McMahon. The dastardly fivesome made their way down to the ring as JR and The King noticed that Mideon and Viscera were carrying with them a heavy duty length of chain. When they reached the cage door, Shane demanded that the door be opened. When Tim White refused, Shane O'Mac wiped him out with a right hand. The Union, sensing the imminent ambush tried to advance on the War Games interlopers, only to be set upon by the official Corporate Ministry entrants. That gave the rest of the Corporate Ministry the chance to step into the cage, as Shane and Paul Bearer worked together to seal the cage door shut with padlocks and the chains. With the door sealed, the Corporate Ministry dedicated all of their efforts into destroying the Union. The Undertaker stood by and supervised as his minions dissected the Union, with Viscera delivering a vicious body splash in the corner to Shamrock. Mideon and the Acolytes teamed up on the Big Show while the Bossman and Shane McMahon began to put the boots to test. What the Corporate Ministry had not reckoned on, however, was the resilience and toughness of Mankind who suddenly began to fight for his life. He managed to shake off HHH and drop him with a right hand before launching himself into the melee, throwing rights and lefts wildly with some success. The Undertaker continued to look on impassively as Mankind locked on the Mandible Claw onto Mideon and then did the same to Viscera when he tried to intervene. Mankind's resistance was always going to be short lived, however, as he left himself open to a low blow from HHH, who followed that up with the Pedigree.

The booing of the fans had reached fever pitch as the Corporate Ministry unfairly dominated the match. On the outside, WWF officials and a few wrestlers poured out of the back to try and restore some order but the door was securely locked, and one malicious glare from the Undertaker caused them to step back. The officials intimidated, the Lord of Darkness himself finally entered himself into affairs, as Shamrock, Test and Mankind were restrained and beaten upon by the Undertaker's legions. That left the Big Show who groggily was dragged to his feet by the Acolytes in order to be met with the disturbing stare of the Deadman. The Undertaker then grabbed the Big Show by the neck and in an inhuman display of strength, dropped the monster with a chokeslam! The Undertaker then stood with his arms outstretched with even the other members of the Ministry looking on in abject awe, before his eyes fell on Ken Shamrock and Test. Nodding to the Acolytes, Mideon and Viscera, the two duos split up, with the Acolytes ramming Test's already bloodied face into the walls of the cage before Faarooq put him in a camel clutch, forcing him to watch as Shamrock was grabbed by the throat, blood still bubbling from his mouth before being sent down to the mat with another thunderous chokeslam! With Shamrock squirming on the mat and Shane McMahon egging him on, Viscera took his cue and hit the ropes before hitting a devastating Big Splash. Mankind, meanwhile was suffering inhuman levels of abuse at the hands of HHH who was relentlessly smashing the Bossman's nightstick into his knees. HHH's assault was capped off with Mrs. Foley's baby boy being wrapped in a figure four leglock. The Big Show, as a last ditch effort, tried to make his way up to his feet, only for Shane to grab the nightstick, before swinging at Show and snapping the nightstick over The Big Show's head! The crowd and the commentary team were shocked as The Undertaker commandeered a microphone handed to him by Paul Bearer. With Viscera delivering another splash to Shamrock, Foley literally tearing his hear out in the figure four leglock, and The Big Show completely poleaxed, Test was the only conscious enemy for the Undertaker to deliver his message to.

“END THIS NOW!”

With Faarooq cranking back on the Camel Clutch and Mideon and Bradshaw trying to add further leverage to the hold, Test was forced to both witness and experience the full wrath of the Corporate Ministry. Looking into the demonic eyes of the Undertaker, the young powerhouse's mental and physical powers of endurance reached their absolute limit. The microphone raised to his lips, in between screams, Test declared

“I...WE... SURRENDER!”

With those words, the massacre of the Union was almost brought to and end and the bell mercifuully rang. Before their moment of celebration, however, Undertaker perpetrated one final assault: hoisting Test up, before leaving him laying with a hellacious Tombstone Piledriver.

With that final message sent, the music of the Corporate Ministry played as all nine men stood triumphantly inside the war games cage, goading the crowd as JR signed the historic edition of Raw off.

“Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, War Games was unleashed in the World Wrestling Federation. And I have to believe that the Corporate Ministry have just forcefully disbanded the Union. Folks we need to get medical attention in that cage. Shamrock... Foley... WE NEED SOME HELP OUT HERE! Damn you Undertaker! Damn you Shane McMahon! Damn all of you to hell!”

================================================================================

Entry #3:

WCW Starrcade

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Spoiler: Click here to view

Three Count (Helms, Karagias & Moore) def. The Jung Dragons (Yang, Hayashi & Jamie-San) in a Ladder Match

Chris Kanyon came out and bitched about being left off the card, asking “Who Betta Than Kanyon”, which brought out a frail looking Lex Luger who torture racked Kanyon

Harlem Heat def. The Steiner Brothers

Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and JJ Dillon are in Ric Flair’s dressing room wishing him luck

Finlay def. William Regal

The New World Order is in the back getting ready for their match

Billy Kidman def. Chavo Guerrero & Juventud Guerrera

The Natural Born Thrillers are all in the ring talking to the crowd and getting a lot of heat, only for The Giant to come out. Giant gives everyone a round of Chokeslams and clears the ring of the Thrillers.

War Games Match

The New World Order

versus

World Championship Wrestling

N-n-n-new World Order is heard over the sound system, and the crowd starts pouring on the boos in the Georgia Dome. The music plays for a little bit before da bad guy steps out onto the ramp. Hall is wearing his nWo shirt and black trunks that say nWo on the back. Hall flashes the nWo hand signal and gets into the cage as he awaits the first WCW competitor.

Booyaka booyaka… It’s Rey Mysterio! Mysterio is on his way to the ring, wearing his WCW style mask and the pants that are littered in question marks. The crowd pops huge for Mysterio as he makes his way down towards the steel cage. Once Mysterio gets in, referee Nick Patrick closes the cage door.

Hall and Mysterio circle each other at first, undergoing a sort of feeling out process. Eventually Mysterio takes a swipe at Hall’s knee, only for Hall to back out of the way. They go back to circling each other, and Mysterio again tries to pull Hall’s leg out from under him. But instead, Hall clubs Mysterio across the back and drops him to the mat. Hall quickly hops on Mysterio’s back and starts peppering him with slaps to the back of the head that are really just designed to piss Mysterio off. Hall gets off Mysterio after a few seconds and yanks him up to his feet by the back of his pants. Hall whips Mysterio into the ropes, but Mysterio grabs the ropes, spins himself around through the middle rope and charges back at Hall, hitting him with a Headscissors Takedown. Hall slides into a kneeling position and smugly smiles at Mysterio.

Hall tries to get the upper hand on Mysterio, so he charges at him, only to get taken over by a deep armdrag. Hall gets up and charges Mysterio again, only to once again get caught with another deep armdrag. Hall tries it one more time, and once again Mysterio goes for the armdrag. But this time Hall manages to block it, and hit a Short Arm Clothesline on Mysterio that sends him flying inside out. Hall taunts the crowd a little bit first, but then heads back over to Mysterio. Hall starts nudging Mysterio in the gut with his boot, kicking him over every time Mysterio gets on his knees. Finally Mysterio gets back up to his hands and knees, only for Hall to back up into the ropes, run forward and just punt Mysterio right in the stomach. As this is happening, the timer goes off and it’s time for our next competitor.

The nWo theme hits again, meaning that the New World Order won the coin toss. Out comes Kevin Nash to a loud chorus of boos. Big Kev makes his way down to the ring to reunite the Outsiders against Rey Mysterio. As Nash is getting down towards the ring, Hall picks up Mysterio and throws him into the corner. Once Nash gets in the ring, he and Hall do the NWO sign together.

But Nash quickly follows that up by running into the corner and squashing Mysterio in the corner. Nash starts firing knees into the upper abdomen of Mysterio, before backing up a couple steps. Nash uses his hands to make like he’s taking a picture of Mysterio before throwing another knee right into his gut. Mysterio goes to slump in the corner, but instead Nash grabs him by the back of his head and feeds him to Hall, who snatches him up and Powerslams him.

Nash and Hall get together and talk for a couple seconds before they pick up Mysterio and bring him to the middle of the ring. Nash then picks up Mysterio and puts him on his shoulders. Nash charges forwards towards the cage and just flings Mysterio off his shoulder and face first into the cage. Mysterio hits the cage with a bang, and then falls back to the mat. But he doesn’t stay there long, because Hall picks him up, turns him around and just throws him face first through the middle rope and into the cage. Nash is going for style over substance, while Hall is just being flat out vicious.

Hall gets in between the ropes and the cage, and just starts grinding the little bit of exposed skin on Mysterio’s face into the cage. While he’s doing this, Nash is just stomping on the back of Mysterio. They’re going to kill him if something doesn’t happen soon.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Speak of the devil. Ric Flair is out next, and while he doesn’t quite fill out his pair of trunks like he did a decade or three ago, he’s definitely pumped to be here. Flair runs down to the ring, steel chair in hand, while Hall and Nash strategize. As Flair gets close, Nash picks up Mysterio and just throws him over the two sets of ropes and into the other ring.

Nick Patrick opens the cage door, and Flair slides in very quickly. For an old man, Flair moves pretty quick. Anyway, he gets in the ring and charges forward with the chair. Nash tries to boot it right back in his face, but Flair ducks under Nash’s leg and runs forward, driving his chair right into the gut of Scott Hall! Hall is doubled over, so Flair cracks him over the back with the steel chair, driving him down to the mat. Flair raises the chair up in the air and lets out a loud ass WOOOOOOOOO which the crowd reciprocate. But the celebration is cut short, because Nash grabs Flair by his hair. Nash is shaking his head no, like he’s toying with Flair, but that’s not a good idea. Flair mule kicks Nash right in the balls!

Nash drops down to his knees, and just for good measure Flair pokes him in the eye. While Nash grabs at his eye, Flair starts firing away with knife edge chops to the chest of Nash. Nash’s chest is turning red, while the crowd is WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOing like it’s the nineties all over again. You can hear Flair yell “Get up you son of a bitch”, as he pulls Nash to his feet. Flair’s pouring it on hot and heavy, until Hall gets back in the picture. With Flair working over Nash in the corner, Hall came up from behind and hit an upper cut to the balls of Flair. Flair starts to crumple down, but just for good measure, Hall hits a second uppercut to Flair’s nether regions. The nWo huddles up together as the timer goes off again.

And out to the ring comes Syxx. Syxx forgets what stable he’s in and starts crotch chopping, before throwing up the NWO sign. Syxx gets down to the ring where he checks on Hall and Nash that are now recovering in the corner. Once the fresh man got to the ring, Hall and Nash got back to it. Syxx picked up Flair, and pushed him over to Hall and Nash, who each grabbed one of Flair’s arms.

With Flair completely helpless, Syxx just started slapping Flair across the face. Flair turned beat red and got even redder with every single slap from Syxx. After about five slaps Hall and Nash let go of Flair, only for Syxx to grab him by the hair and drive him into the mat face first with an X-Factor! Or maybe it’s a Syxx Factor. Or a Syxx Pactor, who knows. Point being, Flair got a face full of mat.

Syxx taunted Flair for a bit, while he was on the mat before picking him up and throwing him into the side of the cage. Flair was on the ground grabbing his head, so Hall picked him up and held him against the ropes, allowing Nash to charge in and clothesline Flair over the rope and into the cage. Then Hall held Flair so that his head was against the cage, allowing Syxx to hit the ropes to pick up some momentum, and then run in and just kick Flair’s face right into the cage! While Nash and Syxx taunted and celebrated a little bit, Hall grinded Flair’s face into the steel cage. After a few seconds of it, blood started trickling down Flair’s face!

But there was still hope for Flair. Self High Five! Diamond Dallas Page is out next! He sprints for the ring as the crowd roars in approval. The NWO stand their ground and await DDP, with Syxx being the first line of defense. The cage opens, and DDP darts into the ring. Syxx throws a spinning heel kick at Page, but DDP ducks underneath it, and when Syxx turns around he gets caught with a Diamond Cutter! Syxx felt the bang, just like that!

DDP popped up quickly and charged over at Hall. Hall and Nash then flanked DDP with one in front of him and one behind him. DDP waited for them to make the first move, and it turned out to be a good idea. Nash threw a punch at DDP, but Page ducked and Nash hit Hall. DDP hooked Nash, and then he hooked Hall. He was going to drop them both with Diamond Cutters, but instead they were too strong. They lifted Page up in the air, and you could see that Page was trying with all his might to bring them down. After a few seconds it looked like Page noticed something. He let go of both Hall and Nash and just dropped to the mat. Hall and Nash looked surprised, but not quite as surprised as they were when Rey Mysterio Jr. catapulted himself into them!

Hall and Nash both went down, while DDP and Mysterio went to check on Flair. They helped Flair up to his feet, when out of the corner of his eye, DDP noticed Syxx running towards them. DDP stepped in front of Syxx and hit him with a Back Body Drop then sent him crashing into the cage! With Syxx now trapped between the ropes and the cage, Flair returned the favor from before. Flair started grinding Syxx’s face into the steel cage, and he didn’t let go until Syxx was bleeding even worse than Flair.

But the timer went off again, bringing out the last member of the New World Order. It was Hollywood Hogan. But Hogan was coming out to see his three partners taken down, with DDP, Rey Mysterio and Ric Flair all looking to get a piece of him. Hogan got down to the ring, but he was very hesitant to get in there. Nick Patrick held the cage door open for him, but Hogan stood outside the cage, reluctant to get in. DDP sat on the middle rope, holding it open for Hogan, welcoming him into the ring, but it just wasn’t going to happen.

Team WCW got a little agitated and started trying to goad Hogan into the ring. But it seemed like Hogan had a plan. With team WCW preoccupied, Kevin Nash grabbed the steel chair that was in the ring. Nash blasted Flair in the back with the chair, knocking him down. Mysterio then turned to Nash, and got caught with a chair shot right to the head! DDP got off the ropes and went to charge over at Nash, but instead, Hogan reached into the ring, grabbed DDP by the hair and yanked him down to the mat. Hall picked up DDP as Hogan got into the ring. He whipped DDP into the ropes, and on the rebound, Hogan hit a Big Boot to DDP.

The crowd booed knowing what was to follow. Hollywood hit the ropes and then dropped the Atomic Leg Drop on DDP! After that it was all about the beatdown. Hogan took off his weightlifting belt, that he had wrapped around his waist. Hogan started whipping the shit out of DDP and Ric Flair with the belt. It was non stop, alternating shots with the belt to DDP and to Flair. While he was doing this Scott Hall picked up Rey Mysterio and took him to the middle of the ring. Hall scooped him up in a Fall Away Slam and then sent him flying backwards into the steel cage!

Nash and Hogan gave Hall a polite little golf clap before the three of them did the NWO sign together. Nash wasn’t one to be outdone, though. He picked up Flair, and then gut wrenched him up onto his shoulders. Nash charged forward and Jacknifed Flair over the ropes from one ring and half way across the other ring! You could hear Flair yelling out in pain, while Hogan just kept going to work on DDP with his belt. Nash went back over to DDP and held him down, as Hogan hit the ropes and dropped another Leg Drop on DDP. Things looked hopeless for WCW, as Hall picked up DDP and just planted him with an Outsiders Edge. Just seconds after impact, Hogan dropped ANOTHER leg across DDP’s throat. But now it was time for the final entrant in this match. The buzzer went off and all four NWO members stood in the ring closest to the entrance ramp. They were waiting for their opponent, but instead of Seek and Destroy hitting, the lights went out.

Five seconds and went by and the lights turned back on. Standing right behind all four NWO members was Sting, standing with his baseball bat! Syxx was the first to turn around, and he caught the baseball bat right in the gut. Hall turned next and he got hit with the bat too. Nash was next to turn, and he had the steel chair with him. Nash swung the chair at Sting, but Sting was quicker, slamming the bat into the chair and sending it flying back in Nash’s face! Nash went down hard, as Hogan hit Sting from behind. Hogan clubbed Sting again, but Sting slammed the bat backwards into the gut of Hogan. The match is officially on now that Sting is in the ring.

Sting hunched Hogan over with another shot to the stomach with the baseball bat. Then Sting dropped him to the mat with a Russian Leg Sweep, with the bat held across Hogan’s throat. Sting wanted to make Hogan surrender as quickly as possible, so he locked him in a Camel Clutch, with the bat pressed against Hogan’s throat. It looked like Hall was about to break it up, as he was approaching Sting from behind, but a bloody Chop Block from Ric Flair took Hall back down. That was enough to take care of Hall, but a boot to the side of the head by Nash completely blindsided him. Sting fell over, as Nash slumped back down to help Hall up. Both men were leaning against the ropes, trying to recover, when from out of nowhere Mysterio ran in and went to hit a Double 6-1-9 on them! But no, Nash grabbed Mysterio by the legs, and just flung him into the cage!

From there it became flat out chaos! Ric Flair caught Hall with a low blow, while Nash turned right into a Diamond Cutter from DDP! DDP popped up after the Diamond Cutter, only to get taken right back down with another X-Factor! Mysterio’s down! Hall’s down! Nash is down! DDP’s down! Syxx got up and celebrated for a second, only for Sting to grab him from behind and drop him with a Scorpion Death Drop! Sting went to lock the Scorpion Deathlock on Syxx, but instead Hollywood Hogan came and plowed into him, knocking him into the ropes and freeing Syxx from his grasp. Sting got dropped down throat first across the middle rope. Hogan quickly rushed over, as fast as he could anyway. He stepped up on the middle rope, and then stepped on the back of Sting’s neck, using the rope to choke him. It could be an effective way of making someone surrender! Hogan had him there for a good twenty seconds, choking him with the rope. That is, until Flair came up between Hogan’s legs and dropped him in what looked like a sloppy powerbomb! Flair crossed Hogan’s legs and locked him in the figure four leg lock! Flair was now a bloody mess, writhing in pain and doing anything in his power to get Hogan to surrender. But no, it wasn’t going to work. Nash was up and he ran over to break it up. But, Mysterio cut him off with a basement dropkick that dropped him down to his knees! Sting quickly recovered, pulled Nash back up to his feet, and dropped him with a Scorpion Death Drop! Sting turned him over and locked in the Scorpion Death Lock! Both Hogan and Nash were yelling in pain, and by now the rest of Team WCW was keeping watch, making sure nobody from the New World Order intervened. After almost a minute and a half in the holds, both Hogan and Nash gave up! They surrendered!

WCW has beaten the NWO in War Games!

For one night only WCW has reunited, and what better way to end the night and the reunion than with Ric Flair and Sting making Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Nash surrender! The New World Order had been out to rain on WCW’s parade since the show was first announced over a month ago. But when it truly mattered, WCW came out on top! The last image of Starrcade, and quite possibly the last ever image of WCW was of a bloody Ric Flair hugging Sting in the middle of the ring.

Entries 4, 5, and 6 coming in the next post.

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[JStarr]

Entry #4:

1996 Wargames

" ... and now the time has come fans ... the time has come for the men of WCW, World ... Championship ... Wrestling, to take up arms against these Outsiders and the biggest turncoat in the history of wrestling. The LEGACY of this sport that is the Four Horsemen is represented by Arn Anderson and Ric Flair. They team up with a man that has transcended the old NWA and now is one of the greatest that WCW has ever seen, in Lex Luger. The final team member for WCW is the flagship .... Sting."

"Tony you better hope to high heaven that he's on our team. If Sting is in cahoots with the Outsiders and Hogan, the three of us can kiss our cans goodbye."

"Well Bobby, it's that very attitude that would lead him that way .... and ... you know, enough. Let's just get to it. WCW against the NWO in a Wargames bout. Bobby, Dusty, .... hold on to your hats."

The talk was over and the rings were set up. Michael Buffer went through his hype and announced the match. With all eyes on the entrance way, Hulk Hogan walked out as the first man to enter the match. He was nearly boo'd out of the building. The fans voiced their displeasure ten fold and littered the ring that he stood in. Immediately there was a 180 in the fan reaction as Ric Flair strutted out as the first member of team WCW. The biggest match in wrestling history would start with what was the biggest match in wrestling to that point. It took a few minutes for the crowd to calm down enough for the match to start. At the sound of the bell though, you could've heard a pin drop. For the first minute it looked like the match of the century would finally take place. Hogan tried to play the tough guy but Flair came right at him with the tenacity that has kept him on top for so long. With about two minutes before the first period was over, Hogan started to step back. He'd wound Flair so tight that the Nature Boy's veins barely stayed under his skin. Flair grew irate though when Hogan backed through the ropes and into the second ring. Hogan's jawing and jabbing kept Flair away long enough for the time to expire.

10 ... 9 ... 8 ...

"Again fans we don't know who won the coin toss so which team will get the advantage will be a mystery for a few more seconds, but when that time expires we'll know how the rest of this match is going to go."

"Thank you Tony, you know that's why you've been nominated for all those Emmy's partner. Your grasp of the obvious is even greater than Dusty's grasp on the gravy bowl."

2 .... 1.....

And the crowd did go wild, but only for a second. Scott Hall waltzed out and played it up for a minute before charging the caged rings and slamming Flair from behind. Hogan went straight into taunt mode as Hall worked Flair over. The two minutes seemed like an eternity with Hall slicing and dicing and Hogan working his jaw overtime. Hogan's little slaps to the face of Flair while he was down didn't help. The two almost forgot about the two minutes and the fact that they were fixing to be joined by the next member of team WCW. They were reminded when the crowd erupted for Lex Luger. There was no posing or flexing but rather a dead sprint to the ring. Hall tried to cut him off in the first ring but Luger caught him flush with his loaded forearm. Hall went crashing to the mat and Hogan retreated immediately. There was nowhere to go in ring two though. Luger got his hands on Hogan and went to work with fists and boots, the old fashioned way. Double axhandles and bodyslams followed. Luger pumped his arms and gave a pose after putting Hogan down with a loaded elbow that found its mark. He turned and looked to see Hall trying to get through the ropes and too him, but Flair had ahold of his boot. The crowd was on its feet and both Luger and Flair were smiling until they heard the buzzer. All three men in the ring looked towards the entry way and Hall was laughing as the seven foot Kevin Nash came out and cockily walked to the ring. He ran his fingers through his hair and gave a cocky grin before climbing into the ring. Flair tried to get in the way but Nash lifted his huge boot into Flair's face. Luger was coming over the ropes to try to get to Nash first but Hall came off the middle turnbuckle and caught him on the base of the neck with an elbow. In an instant, the Outsiders had gained complete control of the match. Hogan propped himself up in one of the corners of the second ring and controlled the action going on in the first. Nash and Hall worked over Flair and Luger twice each. Things were bleak at best after planted Flair with the Outsider's Edge. That left all three members to beat up Luger. Nash took Luger into the ring with Hogan as Hall stood and waited for the next member of team WCW. The eruption for Arn Anderson was amazing. While Nash and Hogan pretended not to notice, the look on Hall's face said it all. Arn Anderson was a tough bastard, if not the toughest, and he was coming to take Hall's head off. Hall did the only thing he could. He charged Anderson. The veteran was ready though and Scott Hall joined Flair on the mat thanks to the greatest Spinebuster in the business. Flair was awake enough to let Arn know he'd keep Hall occupied when he got up. Hogan was killing Luger in the corner and Nash was standing right at the ropes pointing a finger in Arn's face, daring him to 'get his ass' into their ring. Arn just stared at Nash with his hands on his hips. After a second of Nash's big guy act, Arn pulled on Nash's arm and got him close. Still over the ropes of the two rings, Arn pulled Nash down and ran his neck over the top ropes. The big man jolted back and went flat on his back. Arn shot over the ropes and the collision between he and Hogan was a trainwreck. Arn wrestled the bigger Hogan to the ground, got on top of him, and then wailed away. The crowd couldn't count fast enough to keep up with Arn's fists. It all happened so fast that the crowd didn't even realize that the clock had expired on the period and that the last entrant for the NWO was half way down the aisle.

"Rhodes ! Schiavone ! I told you so ! I know rats when I smell 'em. I was right about Hogan for all those years, and now look at this. Sting is no good too."

"Ahhh TOENAAAYY this can't be ... here now, this can't be. Sting is the flagship if you will, the man that has been the posterboy for WCW since it began. And I'll be damned TOE-NAY if that ain't the Stinger walking to the ring now in the fourth spot for the EN Dubbahya OOOhhh."

"I ... I'm just as shocked as you are Dusty, and Brain ... I can't believe that you just might be right about Sting too ... this can't be happening ... Sting can't be the fourth person for the NWO."

The crowd didn't boo, they didn't riot, they just watched on in near silent disbelief. 'Sting' stopped before the steps to the Wargames caged rings and looked around the arena. Hall and Flair were still down but their faces told the story. Flair's was in his hands and on the mat, and Hall's was riddled with a sick satisfaction. Anderson turned around and the classic Arn 'awwww shit' face came over him as he realized what had just happened. Hogan watched Arn take it in, and then turned and slapped around Luger in the corner, taunting him about his 'friend' turning his back. When 'Sting' stepped into the ring though, he walked right past Hall and over to Flair. He put his hand on Flair's shoulder and as the crowd started to cheer, it all came crashing down again. 'Sting' put a boot in Flair's gut and then planted him with a DDT. The four men then went to work on Arn and Luger. As the face of WCW turned his back, the ring was littered with trash just as it had been at Bash at the Beach when Hogan did the same thing. The life was sucked out of Arn, Luger, and Flair. The beating started to get bad. Flair was all but lifeless, Hogan handed Luger over to Nash who had powerbombed him through the mat, and Hall had turned Arn's face into ground beef with the cage. Done with Luger, Nash threw hip up against the wall of the cage which broke on the bottom allowing Luger to fall through and out to the mat. The final minute before the fourth member of WCW came out was the longest minute in the history of WCW. As the last seconds counted down nobody new what to expect. Luger was outside the Wargames cage in a crumpled heap, Flair was barely breathing, and Anderson was doing everything he could to fight off all four NWO members. When the buzzer sounded for the final time the roof blew off the arena.

A MAAAAAAAAAAAN CALLED STIIIIIIIIIIIING !

"My God people, it's him ! It's STING ! HE IS WCW !"

"What's wrong with you Tony ? Sting is already out there, he's in the ring kicking WCW's ass. I knew were an idiot, but blind too ?"

"AH Bobby, shut yah damn trap. You watch now ... Sting is gonna turn on those NWO boys."

The excitement died down as nobody emerged from the back. The little fight that was left in Arn and Flair just sank through the mat and into the floor. The quartet of NWO members just laughed and pointed at the fans for believing the rouse. They then went right back to beating the living hell out of the last bastion of WCW. Flair and Anderson weren't going to last long. Schiavone kept calling for Hogan or someone to just pin one of them because now that all of the periods had expired, a pinfall or submission would count. He went on that neither of those two men deserved this. He was quickly countered by Heenan, who reminded Schiavone and the rest of us that they weren't here for respect. They were bringing a war and this is how it is done in war. You fire your big guns and take out the enemy's biggest weapons. Dusty added that Flair and Anderson were looking to be the first casualties in this war. As if on cue, Hogan instructed Hall and Nash to throw Anderson back into the first ring so that they could all gang up on the two Horsemen. He then told 'Sting' to go fetch Luger. As 'Sting' was getting over to the part of the cage that had broken, the crowd started stirring and cheers slowly started to pick up.

"Wait a minute guys, wait just a minute ... there's something happening over by the railing there."

"Wonderful, the NWO is bringing in another one of our guys. Great."

It wasn't though. From the crowd emerged the real Sting. The crowd erupted as their Sting jumped the railing and slammed the cage into the NWO Sting's face. He crawled through the broken cage and got into the ring just in time for Hogan, Hall, and Nash to turn around and see the real Sting staring them straight in the face. The looks they had were priceless. Hogan got behind Hall and Nash and kind of gave them a little shove forward. The two Outsiders looked back at Hogan with a kind of 'fuck you' look. When the turned around, they got a glimpse of Sting flying over the ropes before crashing into them with a Stinger Splash. The Outsiders were down and Hogan and Sting stood face to face with bodies strewn about. None of the three men announcing could be heard due to the roar of the crowd. Hogan stood tall but it was clear he didn't want any part of this. Sting's face was blank, but you could see the energy and emotion coursing through him. Hogan put his hands up and tried to back away but Sting lunged and took him to the mat. His fists flew wildly about, striking Hogan over and over. Somehow the crowd got louder. Sting then backed off of Hogan and turned his attention to Hall and Nash. They were stirring again but some boots to the head to both of them stopped that. Stinger then took a moment to check on Anderson and Flair. They were both pulling themselves up, and at the same time told Sting to 'take care of Hogan, we got these punks.'

Outside the ring, both the NWO Sting and Luger were up and trying to get back into the ring. Completely confused, Luger attacked Sting and started yelling at him and asking him how he could do this. Heenan had a field day with this until Luger saw what was going on inside the ring. When he figured it out, he got even more enraged and started using that 'enhanced' elbow of his to work over the NWO Sting. Luger put him up in the rack to the delight of the crowd and then dumped him over the railing and into the fans in the front row. When he got back in the ring, he helped Flair and Anderson put down Hall and Nash. After a Spinebuster from Anderson, Luger put Hall up in the rack and then dropped him in the corner. Flair did his best to put Nash in the Figure Four but couldn't lock it in. Luger made sure Nash didn't get up though by pounding him with some boots to the midsection and face. In the other ring, Sting hooked Hogan's leg and was fixing to turn it over for the Scorpion Deathlock. He paused and yelled out to the crowd 'do you trust me ?' A resounding yes followed. Sting then turned to Arn and asked him. Double A responded with a 'Stinger, Double A has got your back !' Flair was asked the same question and before Sting could finish it, Flair was 'Wooo'ng' and telling him that Sting was the man and always has been in WCW. Then Sting turned to Luger and asked his long time friend the same question, do you trust me ? Luger emphatically shook his head up and down and yelled out 'yes yes yes.' That's all Sting needed. He turned the leg over and locked in the Scorpion Deathlock on Hogan. When Flair saw that Hogan was in the throws of a move that had caused Flair himself to tap out, Ric raised his hand in the symbol of the four. Anderson followed suit, as did Luger. Sting saw what was happening and raised his hand in the Four Horsemen symbol. Hogan tapped out and when the bell rang Sting let go and put the Horsemen symbol in Hogan's face. When Hogan looked, Sting turned it into the one finger salute. Flair got on the mic as quickly as he could.

"Hogan ... HOGAN ! Take a good look pal. You've never been liked down here.

........yeah that's right Hall, DOWN HERE .....

Take a good look Hogan ! These people out here and these men standing in the ring aren't about to let you and your chickens*** partners here turn this place into some kind of joke ! WE aren't about to let you run the joint and you can be damn sure that we'll cut you off at every pass. You've got to go through the Horsemen if you think you're going to take over WCW pal and the one thing you forgot is that THE HORSEMEN ARE W - C - W ! WOOOOOOOOO ! You'll have to walk over our cold dead bodies before we quit the fight. The Horsemen name is much more than that Hogan, it's much more than a name. It's a way of life pal, and when you're a Horsemen you're a Horseman FOR LIFE ! Our way of life is WCW and you three punks aren't going to take it from us .... WOOOOO !"

The crowd reaction once again drowned out Schiavone, Heenan, and Rhodes on commentary. Wargames faded out with Luger, Anderson, Flair, and Sting raising the Horsemen sign and kicking the three NWO members out of the ring.

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Entry #5:

There was a silent tension in the air as the technicians completed the last minute checks on the massive WarGames structure before giving the all-clear for the pre-match introductions to begin. The announcements started with Lillian Garcia whipping a number of fans into frenzied cheers although the majority of the eyes remained locked on the entranceway. They wanted to know who would be first out, and therefore who would enjoy the numbers advantage for the majority of the match and those questions were quickly answered…

“Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me Now!”

The WWE United States Champion, Shelton Benjamin bounced onto the entranceway, evidently ecstatic that he was the first person drawn to represent his side of the upcoming war as he marched to the ring before taking in a view of the massive structure. Having not experienced anything close to the WarGames match, Shelton looked a little over-awed as he stepped into the cell before quickly becoming accustomed to the ring as he waited on his opponent to open the match.

“Sorry… About You’re Damn Luck!”

TNA World Tag Team Champion Robert Roode marched menacingly from the locker room, having being drawn as the number one pick for Team TNA and he quickly headed for the ring, seemingly ignoring the cage or its existence and instead focusing on “The Gold Standard” who was hopping from left-to-right, ready to rumble. Roode, however, didn’t seem to agree with Shelton’s eagerness and as soon as he had stepped past the cell wall; he slipped along the ring apron and entered the second wrestling ring.

Ding, ding, ding.

Most of the WWE fans crammed into the arena were not keen on Roode’s tactics as he continued to eyeball Benjamin across the ropes although the United States Champion quickly proved he wasn’t going to wait around on the match and after building momentum by rebounding off the ropes behind him, Shelton proved himself as the WWE’s Finest Pure Athlete by leaping on-to the Tag Champion from the opposite.

That of course, caught Roode completely off-guard and not their not been a cell in the way he probably would have rolled to safety but instead he had to try and respond but Shelton side-stepped his charge and allowed him to bound shoulder first into the steel turnbuckle before whipping him across the ring. The United States Champion seemed to prefer keeping Roode moving in the early moments of the match, clearly relying on his superior stamina to see him strongly through later in the match as he surprised Roode with kick-after-kick and splash-after-splash before the Beer Money Inc. member managed to avoid a Stinger Splash.

That bought Roode a couple of seconds recovery time before he met Shelton toe-to-toe in the centre of the ring and unleashed a flurry of punches on the Smackdown superstar as he quickly established his strength advantage by forcing Shelton against the ropes and then whipping him across the ring. Benjamin rebounded into the stiff left shoulder of Roode that knocked him onto his ass before his face was mashed by Roode’s left boot.

The timer in the corner of the massive screen clicked down to “3:00” as Robert Roode pulled Shelton Benjamin to his feet before sending crashing back to the mat with an Uppercut that caused some of the fans in the front rows to reel back in pain as the bigger man slowed the pace of the match greatly by watching over Shelton carefully. He didn’t allow him out-of-arms reach for almost a minute as he dropped the bleached-superstar with a number of short-arm clotheslines and kicks to the mid-section before Benjamin used his incredible athletic ability to kick Robert Roode in the head while seated in a sleeper hold.

Shelton had to angle his body so harshly to pull off the kick that it reignited the crowd support for the United States Champion, as he crawled away from Roode before greeting him with a dropkick as the pairing stood up. Roode fell to the canvas on the square of the back and his next sight was no doubt, that of Shelton’s right leg as it crashed down across his neck with the countdown edging closely towards “1:00.”

The two openers for the two teams, met once again in the centre of the ring with the punches flying and while it looked as though Robert Roode would dominate once again, Shelton started to march his opponent simply unleashing more punches on the TNA World Tag Team Champion. Benjamin seemed to be firing off blows at twice the rate of Robert Roode and that was quickly starting to have an affect on him until in a fit of desperation, he reached out and grabbed Shelton by the neck and tossed him desperately to the left and into the cage wall as the count-down reached twenty and sections of the crowd started to chant.

Robert Roode had one eye on the entranceway and one eye on Shelton Benjamin, who was dragging the face of back and forth on the cage wall as the seconds passed by. And just as the clock reached three, the multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion kicked his left heel between Roode’s legs and freed himself from an intimate moment with the side of the WarGames cage.

“IT’S TIME TO PLAY THE GAME!”

Mike Tenay and Don West were completely silent as the WWE Champion, Triple H marched onto the stage with J.R. and Tazz going bat-shit insane as the top dog in Team Smackdown headed for the ring with complete shock across the face of poor Robert Roode. Shelton Benjamin was positively giddy with the sight of HHH heading for the ring and seemed happy to not even bother with Roode as he waited for his partner to enter the ring before the two men started on the Team TNA opener.

Sensing the opportunity to make the most of their numbers advantage, HHH and Benjamin decided not to be flashy with their advantage and started to kick a hole in Robert Roode as he lay defenceless in one of the ring corners until referee Earl Hebner pulled them away. The two top Champions of Smackdown then set Roode up for a suplex which then hit collectively before Shelton drove another leg across his neck while Triple H followed it up with a double knee to the temple.

The WWE Champion then held Robert Roode in a standing position as Shelton Benjamin delivered not one, not two but three roundhouse kicks to their opponent’s jaw that left him motionless in the centre of the ring and Team Smackdown very much on top.

The second Team TNA member quickly followed as the countdown fell once again to zero, although sadly for TNA it was the entrance theme of TNA X-Division Champion, Abdul Bashir that hit the speakers and not that of the TNA World Champion like the fans had called for. “Sheik” Abdul didn’t seem fazed by the two franchise players that had now made their way to the first ring and strolled confidently towards to the ring before handing off his gold to the waiting referee and after teasing his entrance twice; he obliged the waiting opponents by climbing into the ring.

However, his plan to try and catch both men off-guard with a cross-body didn’t exactly pan out as HHH and Benjamin caught the high-flyer before slamming him onto the ring canvas together. Bashir, naturally tried to crawl free of the pairing but with two men chasing him he was rarely going to get far and was promptly thumped in the back of the head by Triple H’s right boot before the two Champions of Smackdown whipped “The Middle Eastern Nightmare” across the ring and dropped him with a double Flapjack, slamming his exposed chest onto the canvas from a very big height.

From there, Bashir tried to orchestrate something of a comeback and failed miserably until Robert Roode reached across the top rope just as it looked like HHH was going to slam his knees into the X-Division Champion, and tugged on his hair. The WWE Champion fell back first onto the canvas but it was enough of an opening for Bashir to pounce on the future Hall-of-Famer as Roode earned himself the attention of the bucking Shelton Benjamin for his actions although the TNA World Tag Team Champion was ready for the attack that opened the match and he ducked enough Benjamin’s flying body before following him with a baseball slide as the two TNA stars looked they were about to mount a comeback.

Of course, that was until WWE Tag Team Champion John Morrison hit the stage and then the entranceway and then the ring, as he dashed to his partners’ rescue. Oh yes, this team is made up of Smackdown Champions from that brief time during the Great American Bash before Ryder and Hawkins defeated Morrison and Miz for the belts; why? Because you know you want to read about The Miz hitting a Reality Check on Samoa Joe.

Abdul Bashir received a couple of chops across his chest from the stampeding John Morrison and a quick DDT, as the former ECW Champion tried to help out both of his partners but failed as Roode left a winded Shelton Benjamin in the corner to meet John Morrison with a strong right-hand. Morrison’s impression of a cavalry was really cut short by Roode who followed up his right hand with two more before tossing the third WWE entrant over the top rope and completely into the second ring for him to stomp on.

In the first ring, Abdul Bashir had recovered from the Morrison-delivered DDT just in time to front up with Triple H and naturally, the small man was going to lose out in a trade of punches so after failing with his first strike Bashir tried something different caught HHH in an arm-drag and took him to the ring floor as the third TNA member prepared to enter.

“Sorry… About You’re Damn Luck!”

The calls for Samoa Joe were their once again but instead, the crowd got the other half of Beer Money Inc. who dashed to the ring to lend his support to Robert Roode in the second ring as Sheik Abdul Bashir seemed more than capable of holding his own with Triple H in the first ring.

Of course, as soon as that assumption was made on commentary HHH began to mount his comeback and after clubbing Bashir a number of times across the neck, shouldering him onto the mat and then a double knee to the face after ducking a lariat, the TNA X-Division Champion was treated to a delicious Pedigree that caused James Storm and Robert Roode to stop their beat-down of Shelton Benjamin and John Morrison in the second ring. The TNA World Tag Team Champions didn’t seem to like the fact that HHH had just laid out their partner although their mouthing off quickly stopped as The Miz bounded to the ring to even up the “fresh” numbers.

Beer Money Inc. were quickly beginning to regret some of their harsh words and backed slightly away from the ropes of the first ring, before being jumped by all four members of Team Smackdown in the second ring with Shelton Benjamin and John Morrison picking their spot to attack before HHH and The Miz switched rings to help out.

Storm and Roode tried to resist the attack initially but with four boots raining down on both men they were powerless to stop it as Team Smackdown really battered the tag team before Shelton Benjamin knocked the life from Robert Roode with a T-Bone Suplex after “The Gold Standard” had picked him up. Nothing seemed to be going right for Team TNA as the music of TNA World Champion; Samoa Joe hit the speakers of the arena and finally gave the TNA fans something to get elated about.

The Champion bounded for the ring, never once taking his eyes off the four members of Team Smackdown that were edging their way into the first ring to meet him with their numbers. Naturally, Joe was ready for them all and he quickly nailed The Miz and Shelton Benjamin with vicious right hands to put them on their asses before a lariat took care of John Morrison and then-

Triple H reversed Joe’s attempt of a big lariat and instead tossed his corresponding World Champion into the ropes only for Joe to lift the entire audience with a mammoth lariat of the top Champion of Smackdown and the massive hit that was easily picked up by the television cameras, seemed to rally Bashir, Storm and Roode as they picked themselves up and got back into the fight that could now see fall attempts.

The two teams seemed to pair off into individual battles with Storm dominating The Miz while Morrison tussled with Roode in ring two. The singles Champions were happy to hit anyone and everyone that they could with Samoa Joe making up for Abdul Bashir’s shortcomings as he knocked Shelton Benjamin into next week with a massive lariat before Triple H tackled the TNA World Champion onto the ring canvas and tried to land a number of quick punches and take the wind from his sails.

Although while HHH fell short with his punches, his quick thinking paid off as he rolled out of the way of an air-borne Abdul Bashir attack just in time for the X-Division Champion to land both feet on the chest of Samoa Joe and do HHH’s job before him; just before the WWE Champion sent Bashir to the mat, next to Samoa Joe with a thundering shoulder charge right to the mid-section.

Naturally with falls officially allowed in the match from that point, a few of the guys then decided they would try to steal the victory for their team with James Storm, John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin and Abdul Bashir ultimately failing in a minute that saw practically everyone in the match kicked in the head while hunched over an opponent before Samoa Joe shocked everyone watching, and everyone in the ring by planting Triple H with a Muscle Buster that dropped him harshly onto his neck.

All of Team Smackdown had to stop and stare momentarily at the incredible move that once again lifted the spirits of Team TNA members and fans alike, before The Miz dragged them crashing down to earth as he leapt onto Joe and dropped him with the Reality Check to reset the balance.

That left both teams effectively at three apiece as the two World Champions tried to shrug off the moves, and all six men were keen to add another body to the pile that was sure to build as they all tried to produce their signature manoeuvres with everyone else anticipating the attempt and wriggling free before Shelton Benjamin sensed a golden opportunity and reproduced his flying somersault from the opening moments of the match to catch the recovering Samoa Joe in the empty ring unaware.

Benjamin caught the TNA World Champion with a gloriously adventurous Hurricanrana that caught everyone by surprise and left everyone scrambling to break the fall as the WWE Champion slumped over his counterpart, taking advantage of the United States Champion magnificent athleticism to count the fall with the rest of Team TNA either finding themselves struggling in the ropes or being laid out by John Morrison and The Miz, as Team Smackdown scored victory in the Flagship WarGames.

Triple H, Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison and The Miz def. Samoa Joe, Abdul Bashir, Robert Roode and James Storm (21:17)

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Entry #6:

THE ECW ORIGINALS:

Rob Van Dam, The Sandman, Sabu, and Tommy Dreamer

VS.

THE NEW BREED:

Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Kevin Thorn, and Matt Striker

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!*

HELLO, MY STUDENTS! IT IS I, MATT STRIKER, YOUR TEACHER!

Judging from the entrance music, kicking off the match for the New Breed team will be the group's resident teacher, who walks to the ring with a yardstick in hand. Commentators Joey Styles and Tazz run through the rules: after a five-minute first period, a new superstar will enter, and then again every two minutes until all eight men are in the ring, at which time The Match Beyond will begin. And to add an EXTREME twist, each participant will be allowed to bring one weapon to the ring... and Striker has chosen one that's sure to do a whole shit-ton of damage. As Striker enters the cage, he pulls off his sweater, awaiting his opponent. Who will it be? Why it's...

A familiar "Man in the Box"-style theme inspires the Jacksonville crowd to cheers, as Tommy Dreamer arrives with a garbage can in hand! Dreamer holds one arm high, but his attention is obviously focused on Striker in the closest ring, who beckons Dreamer to approach. Of course, the moment Dreamer enters the cage, Striker takes a powder into the far ring, and the ECW Original soaks in the cheers of the crowd as the cage door is closed behind him.

First Period: Matt Striker vs. Tommy Dreamer

The bell rings as Striker reluctantly steps back into the first ring, but he ducks back between the ropes as Dreamer charges at him with the garbage can. Striker stalls for time, beckoning Dreamer to drop the weapon, but Dreamer instead chooses to head after Striker in the other ring, giving the teacher an opening to lay into his foe with a few well-placed shots with the yardstick. Striker quickly whips the stunned Dreamer into the ropes and swings at him with the yardstick, but Dreamer ducks, then hits a flying tackle with the garbage can on the rebound! With Striker reeling, Dreamer mounts the teacher and fires away with punches to the face, forcing Striker to try to crawl to the ropes. Dreamer, however, grabs him by the foot, snatching the yardstick from the ground. Dreamer plays to the crowd, holding the stick high, and then sets to work choking the life out of the teacher.

When at last Dreamer releases the hold, Striker is left clutching his neck and gasping. Again, Striker makes a move toward the far cage door, but this time Dreamer pulls him up and whips him into the corner, flattening his face a bit with a few well-placed back elbows. Dreamer then picks Striker up and turns him upside-down, tying him to the tree of woe. One in-place trash can later, and the Innovator of Violence is heading across the ring for a running start and a baseball slide to the face! Matt Striker is a broken, battered mess, collapsing to the ring and seemingly out cold.

Dreamer leads the crowd in an "E-C-DUB!" chant, showboating and rallying the fans to their feet. The defeated Striker, meanwhile, musters what little strength he has left to pull himself up using the ropes. Dreamer moves back onto the attack, but Striker manages to hit a thumb in the eye. With Dreamer recoiling, Striker pulls himself up to his feet, then greets Dreamer with a kick to the gut as he turns back around. In desperation, Striker grabs Dreamer by the head and drops him with a DDT to the mat!

TWO MINUTES REMAIN!

Both Striker and Dreamer are down, but Striker begins to regain his composure first. The former teacher finds his yardstick and forces a smile. As Dreamer climbs to his knees, Striker grabs him from behind and chokes him with the yardstick, forcing him back down to the mat. Striker then hooks Dreamer by the leg and locks on an EXTREME! STF, using the yardstick to choke Dreamer. The heart and soul of ECW seems to be on the verge of unconsciousness, and Striker releases, celebrating by standing over Dreamer... and spitting on him.

ONE MINUTE REMAINS!

The disgraced former teacher pulls Tommy Dreamer up by the hair, shouting in his face. With his free hand, Striker slaps Dreamer in the cheek... a truly bad idea that just seems to fire Dreamer up. Striker slaps again, and Dreamer's eyes go wide and he swings back at Striker. Striker smacks again, and Dreamer finally grabs Striker by the hair, headbutting him away!

THIRTY SECONDS REMAIN!

As he slowly rises, Dreamer is a house afire, with fists blazing as he rocks Striker throughout the center of the ring. Striker stumbles and nearly falls over, but Striker is more than happy to do the honors with the yardstick, and Striker does an impressive flip before ending up back on the mat! As the clock ticks down, Dreamer pulls Striker to his feet, then plants him back down on the mat with his patented DDT just as the bell rings.

"Ladies and gentlemen, The New Breed has won the coin toss and will have the advantage in this period!"

And Tommy Dreamer looks none too happy as scary vampire music brings out...

Second Period: Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn vs. Tommy Dreamer

The New Breed's fanged freak storms to the ring with purpose, with Ariel, and with Ariel's signature riding crop rather than Thorn's big scary cane. Presumably because two big phallic-shaped bludgeoning weapons back-to-back wouldn't be cricket, Ariel hands Thorn the whip as he enters the cage. Dreamer is right there to greet Thorn with punches, seemingly forgetting his weapon in the other ring, but Thorn absorbs the blow and snaps at Dreamer's face with the whip. Dreamer stumbles backward toward the space between the two rings and fails to notice that Striker is back up and swinging a yardstick right for his skull. With Dreamer reeling in pain, Striker reenters the first ring, and he and Thorn whip Dreamer into the ropes. Dreamer ducks the attempted double-clothesline, then puts down both men with a double-clothesline in a move never ever seen in the second period of a WarGames match ever!

With both men down, Dreamer briefly returns to the far ring to retrieve his garbage can, then cracks it over the skull of Kevin Thorn. Thorn tries to pull himself up, and Dreamer takes advantage by clotheslining Thorn over the rope between the two rings, forcing Thorn into the gap below. Thorn falls into the gap, allowing Dreamer the opportunity for yet another goofy trash can baseball slide spot--this time with a trapped Kevin Thorn.

ONE MINUTE REMAINS!

Dreamer gets a running start... but Matt Striker finds the wherewithall to trip Dreamer, sending him face-first into the garbage can! Dreamer goes crashing down, clutching his head in pain, while Striker pulls himself up just as Thorn extricates himself from his between-the-rings predicament. Both men put the boots to the fallen Dreamer, and Thorn grabs the riding crop again just to put the whip to Dreamer a few times for good measure. Striker drives a foot into Dreamer's neck, forcing his head over the edge of the ring between the two rings.

THIRTY SECONDS REMAIN!

With Dreamer down, Thorn pulls him back toward the center of the ring and grabs him by the throat with both hands. Thorn pulls Dreamer to his feet, and Dreamer tries to fight back with punches before Striker stops him with a yardstick shot to the back. Thorn picks Dreamer up and drops him with a sitout choke bomb that leaves the ECW Original battered in the center of the ring. Striker takes a moment to kick Dreamer while he's down, and Thorn mounts Dreamer and chokes away as the clock ticks down to zero...

...to the sounds of scary Arab music!

Third Period: Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn vs. Tommy Dreamer and Sabu

The homicidal, genocidal, suicidal, death-defying Sabu storms from the back with a table under his arm. Sabu stops to point to the heavens before breaking out into a jog. He slides the table into the ring before him and slides in afterward, greeting the charging Matt Striker with a dropkick. With Striker staggered, Sabu leaps to the ropes along the side and flies with a rather sloppy springboard moonsault that takes Striker down! Thorn releases the choke hold and looms over Sabu, but the wildman grabs the fallen yardstick and runs, using it to execute a modified lariat onto the vampire man! Sabu points to the sky once again, then moves his table to the corner of the ring. Meanwhile, as Dreamer begins to come to, Sabu drapes Thorn's head on the ropes, then nearly decapitates him with a guillotine legdrop! Striker appears to be coming to, but Dreamer is right there, grabbing Striker by the hair and slamming him with a biel onto the still-folded table.

ONE MINUTE REMAINS!

While Dreamer rubs Striker's face into the table, Sabu throws Thorn into the other ring, pointing up one more time. Sabu climbs to the top rope in his ring and flies, attempting a cross body block, but Thorn catches him, hoists him up, and drops him with a Samoan drop.

THIRTY SECONDS REMAIN!

Thorn takes a moment to catch his breath, but Dreamer's tracked down the riding crop and is whipping Striker with it all through the first ring! Striker is helpless as the clock counts down, his partner on the verge of arriving...

You're goin' DOWN DOWN DOWN

JUST CALL ME SMOOOOOOOOOTH!

Fourth Period: Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, and Marcus Cor Von vs. Tommy Dreamer and Sabu

"The Alpha Male" Marcus Cor Von darts to the ring with a length of chain in his hand, timing his entrance perfectly as Tommy Dreamer hits the ropes to hit a running move on the fallen Striker. Cor Von charges into the ring just in time to drop Dreamer with the POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUNCE!

PERIOD.

Cor Von wraps the chain around his fist and begins clubberin' away at the face of Dreamer while, in the second ring, Kevin Thorn chokes Sabu with his boot in the corner. With Dreamer down, Cor Von helps Striker to his feet, slapping him around a bit to see that he regains his composure. Both Cor Von and Striker whip Dreamer into the ropes, then clothesline him with the thick, heavy chain, leaving the ECW Original collapsed in a heap. Meanwhile, on the other side, Sabu manages to reverse an attempted Thorn powerbomb into a frankensteiner, giving him a moment's reprieve.

ONE MINUTE REMAINS!

Cor Von grabs Dreamer from the ground and wraps the chain around his neck, giving Striker the opening to lay in a few kicks. Cor Von climbs to the top rope with the chain in hand, pulling Dreamer into the air and cutting off his oxygen. Striker continues to taunt the red-faced Dreamer, and both men fail to notice as Sabu enters their ring, charging toward Striker with a front dropkick. Sabu then leaps to the middle rope and attempts to grab the top of the cage.

But he misses.

Because, fuck it, he's Sabu.

Also,

THIRTY SECONDS REMAIN!

Fortunately he manages to get back up again and do it successfully this time, grabbing the ceiling of the cage and whipping himself into a kick to Cor Von. The Alpha Male crumbles to the mat, and Sabu drops down, nailing both men with a falling back body drop. Of course, all of that is moot when Kevin motherfuckin' Thorn comes charging back into this ring with the trash can, slamming Sabu in the back with the weapon and giving us the perfect pretense to cut to

ONE OF A KIND!

Period Five: Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, and Marcus Cor Von vs. Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and ROB... VAN... DAM

The roof nearly blows off the building as Rob Van Dam steps out of the entryway, points his thumbs at himself, and grabs a steel chair for good measure. Van Dam charges toward the ring, sliding inside and greeting the monstrous vampire with a thrown chair. Kevin Thorn catches the chair because he is an idiot and has never seen Rob Van Dam wrestle before, and hey look there's a Van Daminator for your trouble! A monstrous "R-V-D!" chant erupts as Van Dam hits the ropes, drops a rumble of Rolling Thunder on Thorn, stands up, and shrugs. By this point, Cor Von is back on his feet, and Van Dam once again grabs the chair and attempts a throw, but Cor Von moves out of the way and the chair crashes into the turnbuckle instead. Meanwhile, Sabu is back up, and the Arabian madman gathers the chair while Van Dam chops Cor Von into the corner in the battle of the two guys with two three-letter words in their last names. Meanwhile, Striker forces himself up and tries once again to strangle Dreamer, but he doesn't figure for Sabu to spring off of the chair onto him with a flying flailing sloppy Sabu attack of infinite peril.

ONE MINUTE REMAINS!

Times are good for the ECW Originals, it seems. Dreamer extricates himself from the chain in time to save the trapped Van Dam in the corner with a Russian leg sweep onto the table below. Van Dam scales the top rope and is prepared to leap for the Five Star Frog Splash, but Thorn, who recovers suddenly, flings himself at the ropes and forces the crotching of Mr. Tuesday Night. Dreamer charges at Thorn on the attack, but Thorn catches him with a hard elbow, then whips him toward the other ring and stops him in his tracks with a running lariat, sending Dreamer toppling near the center of the two rings.

THIRTY SECONDS REMAIN!

The crumpled heap of Sabu and Striker slowly forces itself back up, and the two men exchange brief pleasant chops before Striker nails a thumb in the eye, followed by a bulldog onto the trash can. Van Dam and Cor Von recover at the same time more slowly, but while Van Dam and Cor Von struggle, while Striker locks a headlock on Sabu, and while Thorn hurls Dreamer into the other ring, the clock winds down...

Don't waste...

I'M READY TO SHINE, YEAH!

My time...

I WANT MY CLOSE-UP BABY!

Don't waste...

YEAH, UH HUH

My time...

YO, YO, HERE WE GO...

Sixth Period: Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von, and Elijah Burke vs. Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and Rob Van Dam

In deference to the fact that he is a big-money superstar, the Black Pope of ECW, Elijah Burke, arrives with an IRS (or Mongo McMichael!?)-esque silver metal briefcase. Burke takes his time on the way to the ring, taunting the crowd, but when it comes time to enter the cage he hustles, meeting Rob Van Dam with a crack over the head with the briefcase. In the other ring, Thorn kills Dreamer real real bad with Original Sin, while at the same time Sabu levels Striker with a thrown chair shot. Sabu recovers the chair and turns to find that he and Burke are the only ones standing in the ring, Cor Von having been laid out by a garbage can shot only seconds before Burke entered. Sabu keeps low with his chair, circling Burke as the leader of the New Breed does the same. And Sabu, like a stupid babyface, gets kicked right the hell in the back of the head when Kevin Thorn returns to the first ring. Thorn picks Sabu up and holds him in place, and Burke winds up with the briefcase, swings, and SMACKS KEVIN THORN RIGHT IN THE FACE! Sabu wriggles free, grabs Burke by the hair, and runs him into the ropes between the two rings! Burke bounces back, and Sabu hurls him into the other ring by the hair as Striker, Cor Von, and Van Dam begin to recover.

ONE MINUTE REMAINS!

With Burke down, Sabu climbs back into the first ring in time to grab the chair, which he clumsily sets up. Burke climbs to his feet and Sabu leaps for the chair, but Burke moves out of the way and Sabu instead nails a recovering Tommy Dreamer with his flying back elbow! Meanwhile, Marcus Cor Von climbs into the second ring to assist his boss--with the help of Thorn's riding crop--and the two men pound away at the fallen originals.

THIRTY SECONDS REMAIN!

In the other ring, Van Dam begins wailing away at Striker with a series of lethal kicks, forcing the former teacher into the corner, but Striker ducks a flying leg lariat and proves once again that it's a bad day to be Rob Van Dam's upper thigh. Right at the same time, Kevin Thorn pulls himself back up and, grabbing the chain, stalks toward Van Dam. Van Dam is helpless as Cor Von wraps the chain around Van Dam's neck and pulls backward, dragging his foe across the ring.

Wait a minute.

A countdown?

The cameras are panning the crowd, and they're in a frenzy!

Could it be?

The Match Beyond: Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von, and Elijah Burke vs. Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, and The Sandman

He's here! Charging his way through the crowd with a beer in one hand and a Singapore cane in the other, the Extreme Icon, the Sandman, looks pissed off and ready to go to war! When he makes his way over the guardrail, Sandman is in a full run, charging into the ring and waffling Striker with his cane! Thorn tries to attack but gets met with a shot to the gut followed by four or five to the back! Cor Von and Burke turn from their assault on the fallen Sabu and Dreamer just in time to find a pissed-off Sandman entering their ring, cane blazing, swinging for the lights right at the skulls of both men! When all is said and done, Sandman is the last man standing, and he puts one foot up on the middle rope, holding the cane high and slamming the beer into his forehead!

Amidst all of the grandstanding, it suddenly becomes clear that The Match Beyond has begun, that the first team to force the other to give up at this stage will win the match. To that end, Sandman and a recovering Rob Van Dam focus their energies on the man most likely to give up: Matt goddamn Striker. Van Dam holds Striker in place while Sandman waffles him a few more times with the cane, and Van Dam finds the garbage can and slams it over top of Striker's head! As the confused school teacher runs in circles like a goofball, Sandman fires away at the trash can like he's breaking a goofy metal pinata, which is a really good plan until Kevin Thorn goes "oh wait I'm huge" and puts Sandman down with a chain shot to the back of the head. Van Dam's spinwheel kick puts Striker down, but it's hard to give up with a trash can on your head, so Van Dam instead focuses his energies on Thorn and gets a chain shot to hte face for his troubles. Meanwhile, Tommy Dreamer leaves the other ring in search of the table, dragging it back toward the second ring and setting it up in the middle of the ring. What could he be planning?

A recovering Sabu pulls Cor Von to his feet but is greeted by a shot to the throat, followed by a one-armed swinging neckbreaker. Dreamer, snatching up the riding crop, runs toward Cor Von but is cut off at the pass by a Burke double-axhandle. Cor Von adjusts the table and instead sets it up against the turnbuckle, then bodyslams Sabu into it. Burke, meanwhile, gets a running start, raising his knee pads above the knees. He runs... but Dreamer pulls Sabu away, while Burke has just enough time to stop himself in mid-run... which, of course, gives Dreamer the opportunity he needs to slam Burke's face into the table! Cor Von tries to fight back, but Dreamer grabs the riding crop and whips away at his foe, meaning that, yes, a white man has used a whip on a black man in a WWE ring and Booker T wasn't involved.

Meanwhile, Sandman is locked in a rear-naked choke from Striker in the other ring, while Thorn chokes out RVD in the corner. Suddenly, Thorn turns to the other ring and realizes that Dreamer and Sabu are back in control and setting up the table in earnest! Thorn informs Burke, and both men charge toward the other ring--Thorn with the chain, Striker dual-wielding the Singapore cane and his yardstick. As Dreamer rolls Cor Von onto the table, Thorn stops him with a chain-aided punch, but Sabu is right there with the save with the briefcase. Of course, the ninja Striker quickly springs to action to put Sabu down with the two sticks, and Striker even manages to get a shot in on Dreamer! Both men are reeling, and Striker laughs... not even noticing the blonde man standing behind him.

Until, of course, that man yanks the Singapore cane from Striker's hand.

Striker turns around in horror to find a pissed-off Sandman staring back at him. He tries to swing the yardstick, but Sandman knocks it out of his hands with the cane, grabs him, and knocks him out with a White Russian legsweep! Thorn turns to attack, but he's met instead by a sudden missile dropkick from Rob Van Dam from the other ring! All four New Breed members lie battered around the ring, and the ECW Originals push the table toward the corner, where Rob Van Dam is waiting! Van Dam holds his arms up high, then leaps onto Cor Von with the Five Star Frog Splash!

The Originals look at one another, nod... and go for the weapons.

The bedlam doesn't last very long, as the ECW Originals set to work strangling and generally abusing the battered bodies of the New Breed. Burke eats a standing Arabian facebuster from Sabu. Thorn is pummeled with the garbage can by Dreamer. But the threat of further caning from Sandman is enough to force Matt Striker to give up, giving the ECW Originals the win!

The ECW Originals (Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, and The Sandman) have won the ECW WarGames Match!

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There you are. Time to vote. Voting closes Monday night.