Post by wayne on Aug 7, 2021 9:17:36 GMT -5
Card 880 – FESTIVAL OF FIRE 5 – Fire Island:
CPC handing out complimentary tickets right in the middle of the GWF show. The men and women moving through the crowds get tracked down and thrown out but not before many fans have received theirs. To make matters worse a huge balloon later floats across the arena ceiling and then loudly bursts scattering even more like confetti right in the middle of the main event.
Heavyweight champ, Pegasus, sends the Matador of M83 packing. One of the most significant meetings between these two ever. They have squared off countless times before and are closely matched but this is different because of who they now represent. The Matador winning the belt will give the CPC even more traction. The build up has been a long one with promo upon promo but Star Warrior has one last message. He warns Thantos “I will do whatever is necessary to protect not only Pegasus but also the GWF. Don’t think about getting involved because I will come at you with everything I’ve got”. But the time for talking was over. Finally they locked horns and despite the very obvious concern about the CPC winning everyone just hoped it would be a classic befitting the occasion. All the politics put to the background so wrestling could be the focus. It was very cat and mouse to begin. Pegasus stalking for an opening which is not forthcoming. But with every passing minute things improve and we have a pin attempt from both guys in close proximity. Then a loud bang went off and the two stopped dead for a moment. Star Warrior even dropped for cover as he thought a gun had gone off causing Thantos to laugh. Large sections of the crowd are showered with bits of paper which was clearly some kind of CPC stunt. The wrestlers having stopped momentarily quickly regained their composure. It probably could of effected Pegasus more because at that point he was on top and beginning to turn the screw. Luckily he picks up where he left off and soon brings everyone to their feet with PROJECT PEGASUS. Thantos desperately tries to rush the ring but Star Warrior, true to his words, stops him. Quick as a flash climbing through the ropes and flooring Thantos with a crossbody before he can get to Pegasus or the ref. There was nothing to save the Matador now and Pegasus keeps the GWF belt from CPC clutches. Loving the moment and the crowd adulation he moves to address them. His first words have that typical Pegasus self confidence “what was everyone worried about? That was a piece of cake”. Looking like he wanted to continue his speech but this wasn’t over and he was cut short. Thantos had been busy in the background. Returning what Star Warrior did to him with interest in the form a chair shot. He then demands the Matador pick himself up and hands him the chair. Pegasus gets smashed from behind with it. Then to loud booing the Matador performs BULLWHIP several times over. Colussus and Alpha Force make their way down to see what the fuss was about and quickly take an aggressive stance when they realise. But they cannot get close to the Matador or Thantos otherwise they’ll also get swiped with the chair. Eventually the stand off has to end as the Matador and Thantos leave. Thantos says “this isn’t over by a long shot. That belt will soon find its rightful home in the CPC”. Finally Alpha Force is able to assist Star Warrior whilst Colussus helps Pegasus. It was good that they could both stand and when Colussus hands Pegasus his Heavyweight belt the champ lifts it over his head in a memorable pose. He is on the way to becoming one of the greatest champions in GWF history. Not far short of a year at the top of the pile.
Anaxis outwrestles Thrash to become Ladies champ again. Although these two women are both categorised as villains and no real natural heat exists between them this had an edge. We all saw on Brymstone how the Gladiators react to anyone trying to take a belt from them. Rebel Empire found that out painfully and that’s with a supposed Colonizer-Gladiator understanding in place. Thrash turns up the heat by insulting the devotion Anaxis shows to Heracles. She is quoted as saying “Anaxis makes me sick. Shows women as weak by serving and prostituting herself to Heracles”. Probably a bit hypocritical considering the class system that exists on Aethra but there is a difference. Thrash is tough and you get the impression she could handle herself even in the male bracket. Anaxis, on the other hand, plays more of a damsel in distress when confronted. However when wrestling other females Anaxis comes to life and has shown herself to be very capable. This would be no easy defence for Thrash. The good news is there is nobody at ringside to try and spoil it. Heracles, being the cowardly chauvinist that he is, doesn’t care enough to risk being with Anaxis in case it raises the ire of Overkill. The last thing he wants is an angry Gladiator on his tail. Overkill’s absence is more down to Aethran decree that no male should serve as a bodyguard to someone lower in the class system. It meant a decent match in which Anaxis shows a streak of self sufficiency. Brawling hard when brawling was called for and standing up to Thrash well. Thrash gets mega frustrated at the resistance shown and walks right into CALL OF THE SIREN and is surprisingly beaten as a result. The ladies belt slips like a bar of soap into the hands of another again. Anaxis grabs her belt pretty quickly. Scampering off with it placed in her large bowl just in case there is any Thrash retribution. Probably a smart move for when Thrash gets her head back together. Stands in the ring demanding Anaxis come out and face her right now for an immediate rematch. As several officials come in to usher her out so the main event can commence Thrash angrily takes a couple of them down before eventually leaving. Turning the air blue all the way.
Mandrill and Blazing Skull destroyed Archon and Max Shield in a Torture Chamber match. Golden opportunity for Archon to inflict more pain on Blazing Skull but he is not happy that he is still terrorising the GWF amid a growing Brymstonian presence “they should of locked up Blazing and thrown away the key by now. This isn’t my style of match but at least there is no hiding from my submission moves”. The hope was that his loss to Blazing Skull last week in the Brymstone Battle Dome wouldn’t be playing on his mind. He was well beaten there. At least he hasn’t had to wait long to try and redress the balance. He couldn’t of asked for a better partner than Max. With Mandrill on the other side there was no doubting that Max would give anything less than 100% to the cause. All 4 enter the ring and the Torture Chamber slowly descends from the rafters and clicks into place trapping them inside. Mandrill grabs at the Titanium bars to get a feel for their sturdiness. He then tries to speak with Blazing Skull about a game plan. His words look wasted as Blazing is too ‘fired up’ and rips into Archon. Max comes to assistance but Mandrill immediately pulls him back. It’s all on and very clear that the feuding enemies are drawn to each other. Archon has little interest in Mandrill and the feeling is vice versa. The first big moment is when Max had Mandrill lined up for a punch against the bars but missed. The pain on his hand was so much that he dropped to a knee clutching it. That could well of broken it. Mandrill goes straight after the injury. Archon and Blazing meanwhile go at it. Archon takes a nasty blow into the surrounds and is semi knocked out. The fact he was down might of been a blessing in disguise. It meant he wasn’t the one going through what Max was going through. Mandrill with Blazing’s help absolutely battered Max Shield relentlessly applying COLONIZER CLAW SLAM several times and then brutally throwing him into the titanium. Suddenly Archon forces himself up and briefly surges back at Mandrill with ELBOW HYPEREXTENSION a couple of times but then gets in major trouble. Voltaic Stunner sends his fatigue rocketing to 9 but Mandrill can’t finish him off. Archon bravely kept trying to get up but he was so beat up Max had to try and carry the fight but despite a valiant effort in which Blazing’s skullcap almost loosened he was feasted upon and subjected to BURNING TOUCH among other dangerous moves. Max was now on verge of collapse (8 tokens). Mandrill (4) and Blazing (1) relatively unscathed by comparison at this point. It just takes one more collision into the titanium and that’s it. Max is out for the count. Archon can now barely move either so the timekeeper rings the bell. Mandrill decides it’s not worth a continued attack as they both look so pathetic anyway. It seems to take an age to lift the Chamber up so medical attention can be dealt.
The rules say the losing wrestler will be injured on a 1d roll. I decided to roll for both Archon and Max as they both got so badly beaten. Archon got a 3 card injury which was quite light but Max really got away with it as comes up as just 1. I guess the injuries were largely just superficial. Anyone who thought the Colonizer domination plan was just hot air might of revised their opinion after this though. This was brutally one-sided with Mandrill leading the bulk of the contest. Archon and Max couldn’t cope.
Fighting Titans too good for the Masked Assassins in a Battlezone match. Big rematch from FINAL BATTLE last year. The Masked Assassins won pretty big there but it wasn’t enough to save them from SUDDEN DEATH defeat. The Titans want to improve on that night. Darkos is spouting the same lines as always calling this a golden generation of Assassins made even stronger now they have got rid of liabilities like Zouave. Gotta hand it to Darkos. He maybe a scum bag but his state of mind is always one of positivity. Big problem though the Assassins are a man down which means Darkos has to step in the ring. After a good start it unravels for the Assassins. The Titans take a strong victory inspired by Pulsar with one man left over (Rising Sun). Here’s the story … Ursa Major beat Daeman by DQ. Daeman was trying to catch Ursa Major out with a double team attack outside the ring. Hydrax had been hiding under the ring and joined him. Darkos was over the other side trying to divert the ref’s attention but it failed. It got worse as Darkos was ejected from ringside for pulling the stunt and only allowed to return for his match later on … Enigma takes out Ursa Major. Enigma is in the zone and finished with FEET OF FURY … Enigma then eliminated Dragonmaster. Comes after a head butt with the mask having tried and failed three times with FEET OF FURY. Dragonmaster’s ageing body just unable to keep pace with the energy of Enigma … Scion Nexus ends the run of Enigma. Relief as Enigma threatens to go through all the Titans a he hit FEET OF FURY again but Scion kicked out. Scion later caught Enigma with a sunset flip for a vital win … Scion Nexus makes short work of Darkos. Hit a spectacular cross body block/deathjump. Titans now in driving seat … Manslaughter beat Scion Nexus. Confidence is high from Scion but he finds Manslaughter’s power too much to deal with and folds to SNAP, CRACK, POP … Pulsar cuts Manslaughter down to size. Biggest cheer of the night so far goes up for Pulsar when he came out. It’s an emotional moment for him. Manslaughter tried to ruin it with two very close calls in the opening few minutes. Pulsar dug in and fought back. Didn’t let failed pins with WHIRLWIND and ACID RAIN get him down. Keeps fighting for all he is worth and succeeds with ACID RAIN again. Manslaughter better get himself down to an optician pronto after that … Pulsar seals overall victory by beating Hydrax again with ACID RAIN. Great moment as the rest of the Titans join him in the ring afterwards and hoist him up. A real show of unity.
Wolf finds his best form to beat Vengeance in a Titan Death match. Arguably the two most profile guys on the WAR and Gladiator teams but so far the ones who are making the least impact. Wolf comes in licking wounds after being dismantled by Mayhem. Whilst Vengeance has done nothing in 2105 of note. In Aethra they expect leaders to get their hands dirty and in the GWF arena that means contending for belts. Wolf is pretty agitated ahead of this as rumours surface that he has clashed with several individuals in the bowels of the arena already. Crossing paths with Mandrill, Malice and Chaos in separate incidents as event organisers struggle to keep warring factions apart. He just seems to want to pick a fight with everybody that isn’t a hero. Vengeance steers clear of all the dramas, in fact nobody had even seen him arrive and there was concern he’d be a no show. However those fears were put to bed as he made his curtain call without a moment of delay. He’d barely walked a couple steps and into view when Wolf rips through the curtain and starts attacking him in the runway. Already in fight mode and wanting to start straight away. Vengeance fends him off by jabbing two fingers in Wolf’s eyes and hurriedly moves towards the ring. All the while scanning the surroundings for possible weapons. He spots a screwdriver that had been left on the floor by a worker. Perfect he thinks but too late. As he moves towards it Wolf cannons into him again having recovered from that assault on his eyes. Vengeance is pretty dismayed. He’s going to have to wrestle this thing with barehands. Both have very similar stats and it always makes the matches close. Vengeance managed to inflict Eye Cleaver which is always dangerous for any opponent. But this is Wolf and he’s having one of those nights where nothing is going to stop him. Once the momentum builds it looks bad for Vengeance. He is rattled with Wolf Skullcrusher which then gets the crowd chanting for Wolf’s claw. He doesn’t let them down and applies SAVAGE FACE CLAW. Vengeance flails about but cannot do anything to break the hold. The grinding nature of it forces him to the ground. The ref struggles to get a clear view on the condition of Vengeance but after a few seconds makes the signal everyone wanted to see towards the bell. Wolf wins big and this will continue to make life uncomfortable for Vengeance with regards his Aethran superiors. Mega successful night for WAR against the Gladiators. The pain of New Order losing their tag belts to Thunder and Overkill already a distant memory. WAR is winning the feud no question.
Raven beats Malice in a gruelling Titan Death match. Malice has not been able to get the better of Raven in their meetings and it’s become a bone of contention. Aethra is not impressed and the pressure has been building and building. His trainer, the legendary Spike, has also paid for the failures as the responsibility gets pinned. But if any of that is playing on the mind you wouldn’t know it as Malice pounds purposefully to the ring. He has mastered the Aethran art of showing little to no emotion. Raven knows this might be the toughest match he has had with the young Aethran so far and tells Qualitar as much “I am under no illusion about the task ahead. Those previous wins count for nothing”. He then moves off quickly from the interview for a quick word with the fully functional Destructon 3000 before heading out. He also looks deadly serious as he keeps his gaze on Malice all the way to the ring. Usually he will put in a bit more energy into his entrance and acknowledge his fan base but not here. He’s all business. It’s time to bring the Gladiators down again. The recent capture of some belt gold having given indications that the Gladiators are getting their house in order again. They need bringing down a peg quickly. But Malice revels in the Titan Death stipulations and has a big chance in the early minutes. Launching FIELDS OF MALICE and giving it the full +4 treatment. Raven kicks out strongly though and manages to clear the cobwebs. He’s not going down that easily. Trouble is Malice is angered by that and ramps up the punishment. Throwing Raven in and out the ring at will until he decides it’s time to try it again. It’s a full on impact again. Surely that will do it but NO! Raven throws out a leg and balances a toe on the rope just in time. Raven even recovers sufficiently to offer some aggression back. Hopes that being in a team with Wolf was rubbing off and a Wolf-style comeback was about to happen. But he just cannot stop Malice and a third one soon happens. Unbelievable, double 6 roll and Raven clings on. This is where Malice shows inexperience as he throws Raven out the ring again and angrily shakes the ropes. It gives Raven too much recovery time. Malice finally fetched him back but Raven shocks him with a deadly piledriver and BLADERUNNER. Malice barely kicked out. We then get a long period of back and forth. The toll of the match tells as the intensity dies down a bit. But things happens fast and in a dramatic sequence Malice threw Raven outside again. It must of been about the fiftieth time. It was the one and only time Raven got the better of him when it had gone outside. He was ready and smashed Malice into the ring post. Back in the ring again and it’s another deadly piledriver. Just like earlier he quickly follows it with BLADERUNNER. It’s too much to take for Malice and he gets pinned to end a fantastic battle. How Raven came through after all that defies belief. Surely one of his greatest ever performances.
Buck Steele/Genocide victorious over Painmaster in a non-title match. Genesis just won’t let the Colonizers rest. Buck’s aim is to beat Painmaster with or without the assistance of Genocide and remind them that they will always be after them. The Colonizers priorities are still on fed domination and they try to play down the importance of this by not even sending Sentry to this event. Painmaster decrees “the belt isn’t on the line so it doesn’t matter what happens here”. So trying to make it low key but it’s anything but that. As soon Genocide comes into the match the atmosphere changes. The crowd is left open mouthed when Painmaster got out the way of a deathjump and then adapted THE TORTURE RACK. To even get a token on Genocide is an achievement but Painmaster managed two. His time on top doesn’t last though. Although he does well to last quite a few minutes but Genocide unleashes a furious assault with station-to-station head to buckles, berserk pounding assault, monster choke slam followed by CORPUS GENOCIDE. Noboby is going to survive something like that and Painmaster is no exception. Will Buck use this win as a basis to challenge for a shot at the IP title? It’s a belt he’s worn with great pride before.
Chaos beats Terminus by DQ. Chaos finally gets Terminus away from Pelf Palace. Ironically it is the same ref allocated that disqualified him last time out. Hopefully that wouldn’t be pivotal and the ref would feel less pressurised at a GWF event and be more impartial. Thantos, for the first time since taking on his role as manager of the Penthouse Suite, looks worried. In the past few months Chaos has been something akin to a sleeping giant but there was no way that he would be like that for too much longer. At times he can be unbeatable and if he brought anything close to his best then Terminus, as talented as he is, wouldn’t be standing too much chance. Initially Terminus makes the greater strides. Chaos guard is down trying to tease him in close. All he wants to do is clamp on with that BOW OF DEFEAT all the time. Whilst Terminus is using hit and move tactics it’s impossible to do this and Chaos takes some heavy hits. However slowly but surely his incredible power start to make the difference. Chaos seriously slows the mobility of Terminus by connecting with a powerful clothesline which makes even the commentary team wince. Vanity, who is on guest colour commentary, says “ouch, Thantos better do something or Terminus is toast”. After Chaos then hits Indestructible Drop Thantos pulls Terminus by a leg to get him out of the ring. He refuses to let his guy lose clean and actually attacks when Chaos follows outside. Unlike most managers Thantos is still extremely capable. A little over 2 years since retiring but looking as if he could stay take anyone on. As the bell goes Thantos stunned Chaos with a kick in the stomach and then hits Satanic Skull Smasher. With the big man temporarily down he instructs Terminus to leave with him “come with me, our work is done”.
X-Termination against Transevolver finished as a double DQ. This is another spontaneous rivalry that has triggered. X-Termination’s pursuit of the CPC tag belts is winning them fans. Of course this was a pure GWF match but there was lots of interest from Pelf Palace to see how this plays out. At some point Colby and Pelf will expect Transevolver to make a raid on the GWF tag belts too so winning here was important. So far, despite holding the CPC tag belts, they haven’t been too impressive. Becomes a one man show from Monad. He is hesitating to tag Dreadnaught as his partner has been unreliable in the ring (possible future heat?) but Doomsayer gives order to switch and finally a reluctant tag is made. Dreadnaught fares far better than he has for a while. Transevolver very much on top. But before they can turn their domination into anything approaching a win the ref got caught in the middle of a collision between Monad and Sleeze. His recovery is immediate but much to the horror of everyone involved disqualified both wrestlers for this accidental collision. Frustrating outcome as it does no one any good.
Colussus and Alpha Force looking good as they beat Heracles and Skinhead. Star Warrior banging the drum for this feud “despite all that is happening with the CPC and Colonizers we must not forget who are natural enemies are. Winning this is every bit as important”. Takes a while to warm up but Heracles hits his longtime rival Colussus with OLYMPIA a few times. Colussus lives a charmed life as the tokens build but he stays strong and responds brilliantly with CYBORG DEATHBLOW. The last person he’d want to lose to was Heracles and he pushes himself extra hard against him. It doesn’t do too much damage but at least it gets his team back in the match. Things soon change as Alpha Force, who’d been very quiet til now, gets into things and really takes it to Skinhead. He barely puts a foot wrong from the moment he steps in the ring. The cheers building as Skinhead clings on after TOMAHAWK THRUST comes his way twice. Relying on pins saves and distractions to stay alive. He briefly turns the tide with BAD ATTITUDE but it doesn’t keep Alpha Force on the back foot for long. Alpha Force builds a big second wave of offence starting with ALPHA STRIKE. Skinhead somehow mustered a kickout but as he picks himself up with the help of the ropes Alpha Force just waits and administers TOMAHAWK THRUST a third and final time. That does the job and it’s a solid win for the Champions duo. Star Warrior looks delighted and makes a big thing of celebrating the win. He really wants to push his guys. He knows it’s not all about Pegasus. Interestingly Alpha Force is thinking about his downgrading his sights to the IP belt. He later told Qualitar “the IP belt is a very prestigious belt to win. Well worth competing for. I’ll never say never but I’ve probably had my time with the Heavyweight belt having won it 4 times and successfully held it twice. The competition is now very fierce and I’m getting old. I’ve also got my eye on CPC titles. Between me and Colussus we think we can win at least one of them as long as we get a fair shot”.
Vyper is jubilant over Dark Justice. Two guys sitting just below the top tier of wrestlers in the GWF but looking to break into it. Vyper has a recent victory over Malice under his belt. Dark Justice despite being in the shadows of former teammates Chaos and Heracles last year was the team’s outstanding performer and dominated the IP belt. So confidence high on both sides. Cassandra makes a nuisance of herself and complains about Mollock’s presence. She then urges Vyper to break the elastic and leave that smelly Savage Kingdom and join her growing team. Gets ignored on both counts but she is determined not to be quiet and let this just be a simple wrestling match. Even when things are underway she is pestering Mollock but soon finds a way of placating him. Seems Mollock likes having the fur on his belly rubbed and it serves to distract him from the action. Dark Justice has a clear path to try and put Vyper away but cannot manage it. In a really good battle that goes back and forth Vyper manages to come out as winner via VYPER’S SIDESHOW. He is suddenly getting momentum going with some major wins (sandwiching a loss to Janus at Pelf Palace). It’s many years since those heady days when he won the GWF Heavyweight belt in a big surprise and competed at the top table on OTB. Could those days be on the horizon again?
Vendetta sees off a spirited Vertigo. Massive cheer to mark Vertigo’s return. He’s not moving too badly but does limp on occasion. Those in the know have seen the effect of Vertigo’s injuries and it will be a long time before he is anywhere near back to full working order. Drama at the start. Wraith looking out for his buddy uses his invisibility to get to ringside undetected. He crystallises behind Sentry and smashed him from behind this incapacitating him from the start. At first the fans cheer but then they are repulsed as a terrible stench hits their nostrils. The blow punctured Sentry’s suit again and the smell of Tocsin drifts out. Vendetta looked mildly distracted by this but chooses not to leave the ring to take on Wraith. Keeps his attention on Vendetta. It’s a tactic that serves him well. Even though Vertigo’s desire and intensity surprises him and has to withstand the dizzying effects of MOTION SICKNESS twice just one Vendetta Rack Bomb is all it took. Wraith didn’t break up the inevitable pin but he isn’t shy about rushing in to attack Vendetta from behind. Nefarus breaks away from a watching position with Mandrill to join. Rebel Empire and Genesis Prime has an all out brawl which takes an awful lot of intervention to break up. Time these two teams get it on I think.
CPC handing out complimentary tickets right in the middle of the GWF show. The men and women moving through the crowds get tracked down and thrown out but not before many fans have received theirs. To make matters worse a huge balloon later floats across the arena ceiling and then loudly bursts scattering even more like confetti right in the middle of the main event.
Heavyweight champ, Pegasus, sends the Matador of M83 packing. One of the most significant meetings between these two ever. They have squared off countless times before and are closely matched but this is different because of who they now represent. The Matador winning the belt will give the CPC even more traction. The build up has been a long one with promo upon promo but Star Warrior has one last message. He warns Thantos “I will do whatever is necessary to protect not only Pegasus but also the GWF. Don’t think about getting involved because I will come at you with everything I’ve got”. But the time for talking was over. Finally they locked horns and despite the very obvious concern about the CPC winning everyone just hoped it would be a classic befitting the occasion. All the politics put to the background so wrestling could be the focus. It was very cat and mouse to begin. Pegasus stalking for an opening which is not forthcoming. But with every passing minute things improve and we have a pin attempt from both guys in close proximity. Then a loud bang went off and the two stopped dead for a moment. Star Warrior even dropped for cover as he thought a gun had gone off causing Thantos to laugh. Large sections of the crowd are showered with bits of paper which was clearly some kind of CPC stunt. The wrestlers having stopped momentarily quickly regained their composure. It probably could of effected Pegasus more because at that point he was on top and beginning to turn the screw. Luckily he picks up where he left off and soon brings everyone to their feet with PROJECT PEGASUS. Thantos desperately tries to rush the ring but Star Warrior, true to his words, stops him. Quick as a flash climbing through the ropes and flooring Thantos with a crossbody before he can get to Pegasus or the ref. There was nothing to save the Matador now and Pegasus keeps the GWF belt from CPC clutches. Loving the moment and the crowd adulation he moves to address them. His first words have that typical Pegasus self confidence “what was everyone worried about? That was a piece of cake”. Looking like he wanted to continue his speech but this wasn’t over and he was cut short. Thantos had been busy in the background. Returning what Star Warrior did to him with interest in the form a chair shot. He then demands the Matador pick himself up and hands him the chair. Pegasus gets smashed from behind with it. Then to loud booing the Matador performs BULLWHIP several times over. Colussus and Alpha Force make their way down to see what the fuss was about and quickly take an aggressive stance when they realise. But they cannot get close to the Matador or Thantos otherwise they’ll also get swiped with the chair. Eventually the stand off has to end as the Matador and Thantos leave. Thantos says “this isn’t over by a long shot. That belt will soon find its rightful home in the CPC”. Finally Alpha Force is able to assist Star Warrior whilst Colussus helps Pegasus. It was good that they could both stand and when Colussus hands Pegasus his Heavyweight belt the champ lifts it over his head in a memorable pose. He is on the way to becoming one of the greatest champions in GWF history. Not far short of a year at the top of the pile.
Anaxis outwrestles Thrash to become Ladies champ again. Although these two women are both categorised as villains and no real natural heat exists between them this had an edge. We all saw on Brymstone how the Gladiators react to anyone trying to take a belt from them. Rebel Empire found that out painfully and that’s with a supposed Colonizer-Gladiator understanding in place. Thrash turns up the heat by insulting the devotion Anaxis shows to Heracles. She is quoted as saying “Anaxis makes me sick. Shows women as weak by serving and prostituting herself to Heracles”. Probably a bit hypocritical considering the class system that exists on Aethra but there is a difference. Thrash is tough and you get the impression she could handle herself even in the male bracket. Anaxis, on the other hand, plays more of a damsel in distress when confronted. However when wrestling other females Anaxis comes to life and has shown herself to be very capable. This would be no easy defence for Thrash. The good news is there is nobody at ringside to try and spoil it. Heracles, being the cowardly chauvinist that he is, doesn’t care enough to risk being with Anaxis in case it raises the ire of Overkill. The last thing he wants is an angry Gladiator on his tail. Overkill’s absence is more down to Aethran decree that no male should serve as a bodyguard to someone lower in the class system. It meant a decent match in which Anaxis shows a streak of self sufficiency. Brawling hard when brawling was called for and standing up to Thrash well. Thrash gets mega frustrated at the resistance shown and walks right into CALL OF THE SIREN and is surprisingly beaten as a result. The ladies belt slips like a bar of soap into the hands of another again. Anaxis grabs her belt pretty quickly. Scampering off with it placed in her large bowl just in case there is any Thrash retribution. Probably a smart move for when Thrash gets her head back together. Stands in the ring demanding Anaxis come out and face her right now for an immediate rematch. As several officials come in to usher her out so the main event can commence Thrash angrily takes a couple of them down before eventually leaving. Turning the air blue all the way.
Mandrill and Blazing Skull destroyed Archon and Max Shield in a Torture Chamber match. Golden opportunity for Archon to inflict more pain on Blazing Skull but he is not happy that he is still terrorising the GWF amid a growing Brymstonian presence “they should of locked up Blazing and thrown away the key by now. This isn’t my style of match but at least there is no hiding from my submission moves”. The hope was that his loss to Blazing Skull last week in the Brymstone Battle Dome wouldn’t be playing on his mind. He was well beaten there. At least he hasn’t had to wait long to try and redress the balance. He couldn’t of asked for a better partner than Max. With Mandrill on the other side there was no doubting that Max would give anything less than 100% to the cause. All 4 enter the ring and the Torture Chamber slowly descends from the rafters and clicks into place trapping them inside. Mandrill grabs at the Titanium bars to get a feel for their sturdiness. He then tries to speak with Blazing Skull about a game plan. His words look wasted as Blazing is too ‘fired up’ and rips into Archon. Max comes to assistance but Mandrill immediately pulls him back. It’s all on and very clear that the feuding enemies are drawn to each other. Archon has little interest in Mandrill and the feeling is vice versa. The first big moment is when Max had Mandrill lined up for a punch against the bars but missed. The pain on his hand was so much that he dropped to a knee clutching it. That could well of broken it. Mandrill goes straight after the injury. Archon and Blazing meanwhile go at it. Archon takes a nasty blow into the surrounds and is semi knocked out. The fact he was down might of been a blessing in disguise. It meant he wasn’t the one going through what Max was going through. Mandrill with Blazing’s help absolutely battered Max Shield relentlessly applying COLONIZER CLAW SLAM several times and then brutally throwing him into the titanium. Suddenly Archon forces himself up and briefly surges back at Mandrill with ELBOW HYPEREXTENSION a couple of times but then gets in major trouble. Voltaic Stunner sends his fatigue rocketing to 9 but Mandrill can’t finish him off. Archon bravely kept trying to get up but he was so beat up Max had to try and carry the fight but despite a valiant effort in which Blazing’s skullcap almost loosened he was feasted upon and subjected to BURNING TOUCH among other dangerous moves. Max was now on verge of collapse (8 tokens). Mandrill (4) and Blazing (1) relatively unscathed by comparison at this point. It just takes one more collision into the titanium and that’s it. Max is out for the count. Archon can now barely move either so the timekeeper rings the bell. Mandrill decides it’s not worth a continued attack as they both look so pathetic anyway. It seems to take an age to lift the Chamber up so medical attention can be dealt.
The rules say the losing wrestler will be injured on a 1d roll. I decided to roll for both Archon and Max as they both got so badly beaten. Archon got a 3 card injury which was quite light but Max really got away with it as comes up as just 1. I guess the injuries were largely just superficial. Anyone who thought the Colonizer domination plan was just hot air might of revised their opinion after this though. This was brutally one-sided with Mandrill leading the bulk of the contest. Archon and Max couldn’t cope.
Fighting Titans too good for the Masked Assassins in a Battlezone match. Big rematch from FINAL BATTLE last year. The Masked Assassins won pretty big there but it wasn’t enough to save them from SUDDEN DEATH defeat. The Titans want to improve on that night. Darkos is spouting the same lines as always calling this a golden generation of Assassins made even stronger now they have got rid of liabilities like Zouave. Gotta hand it to Darkos. He maybe a scum bag but his state of mind is always one of positivity. Big problem though the Assassins are a man down which means Darkos has to step in the ring. After a good start it unravels for the Assassins. The Titans take a strong victory inspired by Pulsar with one man left over (Rising Sun). Here’s the story … Ursa Major beat Daeman by DQ. Daeman was trying to catch Ursa Major out with a double team attack outside the ring. Hydrax had been hiding under the ring and joined him. Darkos was over the other side trying to divert the ref’s attention but it failed. It got worse as Darkos was ejected from ringside for pulling the stunt and only allowed to return for his match later on … Enigma takes out Ursa Major. Enigma is in the zone and finished with FEET OF FURY … Enigma then eliminated Dragonmaster. Comes after a head butt with the mask having tried and failed three times with FEET OF FURY. Dragonmaster’s ageing body just unable to keep pace with the energy of Enigma … Scion Nexus ends the run of Enigma. Relief as Enigma threatens to go through all the Titans a he hit FEET OF FURY again but Scion kicked out. Scion later caught Enigma with a sunset flip for a vital win … Scion Nexus makes short work of Darkos. Hit a spectacular cross body block/deathjump. Titans now in driving seat … Manslaughter beat Scion Nexus. Confidence is high from Scion but he finds Manslaughter’s power too much to deal with and folds to SNAP, CRACK, POP … Pulsar cuts Manslaughter down to size. Biggest cheer of the night so far goes up for Pulsar when he came out. It’s an emotional moment for him. Manslaughter tried to ruin it with two very close calls in the opening few minutes. Pulsar dug in and fought back. Didn’t let failed pins with WHIRLWIND and ACID RAIN get him down. Keeps fighting for all he is worth and succeeds with ACID RAIN again. Manslaughter better get himself down to an optician pronto after that … Pulsar seals overall victory by beating Hydrax again with ACID RAIN. Great moment as the rest of the Titans join him in the ring afterwards and hoist him up. A real show of unity.
Wolf finds his best form to beat Vengeance in a Titan Death match. Arguably the two most profile guys on the WAR and Gladiator teams but so far the ones who are making the least impact. Wolf comes in licking wounds after being dismantled by Mayhem. Whilst Vengeance has done nothing in 2105 of note. In Aethra they expect leaders to get their hands dirty and in the GWF arena that means contending for belts. Wolf is pretty agitated ahead of this as rumours surface that he has clashed with several individuals in the bowels of the arena already. Crossing paths with Mandrill, Malice and Chaos in separate incidents as event organisers struggle to keep warring factions apart. He just seems to want to pick a fight with everybody that isn’t a hero. Vengeance steers clear of all the dramas, in fact nobody had even seen him arrive and there was concern he’d be a no show. However those fears were put to bed as he made his curtain call without a moment of delay. He’d barely walked a couple steps and into view when Wolf rips through the curtain and starts attacking him in the runway. Already in fight mode and wanting to start straight away. Vengeance fends him off by jabbing two fingers in Wolf’s eyes and hurriedly moves towards the ring. All the while scanning the surroundings for possible weapons. He spots a screwdriver that had been left on the floor by a worker. Perfect he thinks but too late. As he moves towards it Wolf cannons into him again having recovered from that assault on his eyes. Vengeance is pretty dismayed. He’s going to have to wrestle this thing with barehands. Both have very similar stats and it always makes the matches close. Vengeance managed to inflict Eye Cleaver which is always dangerous for any opponent. But this is Wolf and he’s having one of those nights where nothing is going to stop him. Once the momentum builds it looks bad for Vengeance. He is rattled with Wolf Skullcrusher which then gets the crowd chanting for Wolf’s claw. He doesn’t let them down and applies SAVAGE FACE CLAW. Vengeance flails about but cannot do anything to break the hold. The grinding nature of it forces him to the ground. The ref struggles to get a clear view on the condition of Vengeance but after a few seconds makes the signal everyone wanted to see towards the bell. Wolf wins big and this will continue to make life uncomfortable for Vengeance with regards his Aethran superiors. Mega successful night for WAR against the Gladiators. The pain of New Order losing their tag belts to Thunder and Overkill already a distant memory. WAR is winning the feud no question.
Raven beats Malice in a gruelling Titan Death match. Malice has not been able to get the better of Raven in their meetings and it’s become a bone of contention. Aethra is not impressed and the pressure has been building and building. His trainer, the legendary Spike, has also paid for the failures as the responsibility gets pinned. But if any of that is playing on the mind you wouldn’t know it as Malice pounds purposefully to the ring. He has mastered the Aethran art of showing little to no emotion. Raven knows this might be the toughest match he has had with the young Aethran so far and tells Qualitar as much “I am under no illusion about the task ahead. Those previous wins count for nothing”. He then moves off quickly from the interview for a quick word with the fully functional Destructon 3000 before heading out. He also looks deadly serious as he keeps his gaze on Malice all the way to the ring. Usually he will put in a bit more energy into his entrance and acknowledge his fan base but not here. He’s all business. It’s time to bring the Gladiators down again. The recent capture of some belt gold having given indications that the Gladiators are getting their house in order again. They need bringing down a peg quickly. But Malice revels in the Titan Death stipulations and has a big chance in the early minutes. Launching FIELDS OF MALICE and giving it the full +4 treatment. Raven kicks out strongly though and manages to clear the cobwebs. He’s not going down that easily. Trouble is Malice is angered by that and ramps up the punishment. Throwing Raven in and out the ring at will until he decides it’s time to try it again. It’s a full on impact again. Surely that will do it but NO! Raven throws out a leg and balances a toe on the rope just in time. Raven even recovers sufficiently to offer some aggression back. Hopes that being in a team with Wolf was rubbing off and a Wolf-style comeback was about to happen. But he just cannot stop Malice and a third one soon happens. Unbelievable, double 6 roll and Raven clings on. This is where Malice shows inexperience as he throws Raven out the ring again and angrily shakes the ropes. It gives Raven too much recovery time. Malice finally fetched him back but Raven shocks him with a deadly piledriver and BLADERUNNER. Malice barely kicked out. We then get a long period of back and forth. The toll of the match tells as the intensity dies down a bit. But things happens fast and in a dramatic sequence Malice threw Raven outside again. It must of been about the fiftieth time. It was the one and only time Raven got the better of him when it had gone outside. He was ready and smashed Malice into the ring post. Back in the ring again and it’s another deadly piledriver. Just like earlier he quickly follows it with BLADERUNNER. It’s too much to take for Malice and he gets pinned to end a fantastic battle. How Raven came through after all that defies belief. Surely one of his greatest ever performances.
Buck Steele/Genocide victorious over Painmaster in a non-title match. Genesis just won’t let the Colonizers rest. Buck’s aim is to beat Painmaster with or without the assistance of Genocide and remind them that they will always be after them. The Colonizers priorities are still on fed domination and they try to play down the importance of this by not even sending Sentry to this event. Painmaster decrees “the belt isn’t on the line so it doesn’t matter what happens here”. So trying to make it low key but it’s anything but that. As soon Genocide comes into the match the atmosphere changes. The crowd is left open mouthed when Painmaster got out the way of a deathjump and then adapted THE TORTURE RACK. To even get a token on Genocide is an achievement but Painmaster managed two. His time on top doesn’t last though. Although he does well to last quite a few minutes but Genocide unleashes a furious assault with station-to-station head to buckles, berserk pounding assault, monster choke slam followed by CORPUS GENOCIDE. Noboby is going to survive something like that and Painmaster is no exception. Will Buck use this win as a basis to challenge for a shot at the IP title? It’s a belt he’s worn with great pride before.
Chaos beats Terminus by DQ. Chaos finally gets Terminus away from Pelf Palace. Ironically it is the same ref allocated that disqualified him last time out. Hopefully that wouldn’t be pivotal and the ref would feel less pressurised at a GWF event and be more impartial. Thantos, for the first time since taking on his role as manager of the Penthouse Suite, looks worried. In the past few months Chaos has been something akin to a sleeping giant but there was no way that he would be like that for too much longer. At times he can be unbeatable and if he brought anything close to his best then Terminus, as talented as he is, wouldn’t be standing too much chance. Initially Terminus makes the greater strides. Chaos guard is down trying to tease him in close. All he wants to do is clamp on with that BOW OF DEFEAT all the time. Whilst Terminus is using hit and move tactics it’s impossible to do this and Chaos takes some heavy hits. However slowly but surely his incredible power start to make the difference. Chaos seriously slows the mobility of Terminus by connecting with a powerful clothesline which makes even the commentary team wince. Vanity, who is on guest colour commentary, says “ouch, Thantos better do something or Terminus is toast”. After Chaos then hits Indestructible Drop Thantos pulls Terminus by a leg to get him out of the ring. He refuses to let his guy lose clean and actually attacks when Chaos follows outside. Unlike most managers Thantos is still extremely capable. A little over 2 years since retiring but looking as if he could stay take anyone on. As the bell goes Thantos stunned Chaos with a kick in the stomach and then hits Satanic Skull Smasher. With the big man temporarily down he instructs Terminus to leave with him “come with me, our work is done”.
X-Termination against Transevolver finished as a double DQ. This is another spontaneous rivalry that has triggered. X-Termination’s pursuit of the CPC tag belts is winning them fans. Of course this was a pure GWF match but there was lots of interest from Pelf Palace to see how this plays out. At some point Colby and Pelf will expect Transevolver to make a raid on the GWF tag belts too so winning here was important. So far, despite holding the CPC tag belts, they haven’t been too impressive. Becomes a one man show from Monad. He is hesitating to tag Dreadnaught as his partner has been unreliable in the ring (possible future heat?) but Doomsayer gives order to switch and finally a reluctant tag is made. Dreadnaught fares far better than he has for a while. Transevolver very much on top. But before they can turn their domination into anything approaching a win the ref got caught in the middle of a collision between Monad and Sleeze. His recovery is immediate but much to the horror of everyone involved disqualified both wrestlers for this accidental collision. Frustrating outcome as it does no one any good.
Colussus and Alpha Force looking good as they beat Heracles and Skinhead. Star Warrior banging the drum for this feud “despite all that is happening with the CPC and Colonizers we must not forget who are natural enemies are. Winning this is every bit as important”. Takes a while to warm up but Heracles hits his longtime rival Colussus with OLYMPIA a few times. Colussus lives a charmed life as the tokens build but he stays strong and responds brilliantly with CYBORG DEATHBLOW. The last person he’d want to lose to was Heracles and he pushes himself extra hard against him. It doesn’t do too much damage but at least it gets his team back in the match. Things soon change as Alpha Force, who’d been very quiet til now, gets into things and really takes it to Skinhead. He barely puts a foot wrong from the moment he steps in the ring. The cheers building as Skinhead clings on after TOMAHAWK THRUST comes his way twice. Relying on pins saves and distractions to stay alive. He briefly turns the tide with BAD ATTITUDE but it doesn’t keep Alpha Force on the back foot for long. Alpha Force builds a big second wave of offence starting with ALPHA STRIKE. Skinhead somehow mustered a kickout but as he picks himself up with the help of the ropes Alpha Force just waits and administers TOMAHAWK THRUST a third and final time. That does the job and it’s a solid win for the Champions duo. Star Warrior looks delighted and makes a big thing of celebrating the win. He really wants to push his guys. He knows it’s not all about Pegasus. Interestingly Alpha Force is thinking about his downgrading his sights to the IP belt. He later told Qualitar “the IP belt is a very prestigious belt to win. Well worth competing for. I’ll never say never but I’ve probably had my time with the Heavyweight belt having won it 4 times and successfully held it twice. The competition is now very fierce and I’m getting old. I’ve also got my eye on CPC titles. Between me and Colussus we think we can win at least one of them as long as we get a fair shot”.
Vyper is jubilant over Dark Justice. Two guys sitting just below the top tier of wrestlers in the GWF but looking to break into it. Vyper has a recent victory over Malice under his belt. Dark Justice despite being in the shadows of former teammates Chaos and Heracles last year was the team’s outstanding performer and dominated the IP belt. So confidence high on both sides. Cassandra makes a nuisance of herself and complains about Mollock’s presence. She then urges Vyper to break the elastic and leave that smelly Savage Kingdom and join her growing team. Gets ignored on both counts but she is determined not to be quiet and let this just be a simple wrestling match. Even when things are underway she is pestering Mollock but soon finds a way of placating him. Seems Mollock likes having the fur on his belly rubbed and it serves to distract him from the action. Dark Justice has a clear path to try and put Vyper away but cannot manage it. In a really good battle that goes back and forth Vyper manages to come out as winner via VYPER’S SIDESHOW. He is suddenly getting momentum going with some major wins (sandwiching a loss to Janus at Pelf Palace). It’s many years since those heady days when he won the GWF Heavyweight belt in a big surprise and competed at the top table on OTB. Could those days be on the horizon again?
Vendetta sees off a spirited Vertigo. Massive cheer to mark Vertigo’s return. He’s not moving too badly but does limp on occasion. Those in the know have seen the effect of Vertigo’s injuries and it will be a long time before he is anywhere near back to full working order. Drama at the start. Wraith looking out for his buddy uses his invisibility to get to ringside undetected. He crystallises behind Sentry and smashed him from behind this incapacitating him from the start. At first the fans cheer but then they are repulsed as a terrible stench hits their nostrils. The blow punctured Sentry’s suit again and the smell of Tocsin drifts out. Vendetta looked mildly distracted by this but chooses not to leave the ring to take on Wraith. Keeps his attention on Vendetta. It’s a tactic that serves him well. Even though Vertigo’s desire and intensity surprises him and has to withstand the dizzying effects of MOTION SICKNESS twice just one Vendetta Rack Bomb is all it took. Wraith didn’t break up the inevitable pin but he isn’t shy about rushing in to attack Vendetta from behind. Nefarus breaks away from a watching position with Mandrill to join. Rebel Empire and Genesis Prime has an all out brawl which takes an awful lot of intervention to break up. Time these two teams get it on I think.