POW: The Evolution of Combat

[BDS]

Up next: King of the Cage II

• An eight-man tournament inside a steel cage, featuring ...
  
• Brainstorm vs. Nero
  
• Crucible vs. J.J. Smooth
  
• Puma vs. Gunnar
  
• Talon vs. Thayne

Show History
POW Apocalypse (episode 106) - 02.05.2122 (Posted August 4, 2009)
February 2122 Preview - 02.04.2122 (Posted August 3, 2009)
POW Apocalypse (episode 105) - 01.29.2122 (Posted August 2, 2009)
POW presents ... Anointing - 01.25.2122 (Posted August 1, 2009)
POW Apocalypse (episode 104) - 01.22.2122 (Posted July 27, 2009)
POW Apocalypse (episode 103) - 01.15.2122 (Posted July 25, 2009)
King of the Cage I - 01.11.2122 (Posted July 24, 2009)
POW Apocalypse (episode 102) - 01.08.2122 (Posted July 23, 2009)
POW Apocalypse (episode 101) - 01.01.2122 (Posted July 23, 2009)

The Introduction
I tried doing this once before, but I never quite had the format right. I think I've finally got everything the way I want it, though, so I'm going to start a POW fed. It's going to be MMA only, and since I like to run things by the calendar, there will be an Apocalypse show once a week and two PPV supercards every month (I'll start in January of 2122). I'll let the characters explain everything else as I start posting shows. As I post cards, I'll update this first post here with links to each one kinda like a table of contents.

[BDS]

POW Apocalypse (episode 101)
01.01.2122 from Pleiades Cluster Center

- The Zone of Lawlessness -
The first POW holovid show of 2122 opened with Trent Laweless standing in the middle of the ring with a microphone in hand. "Ladies and gentlemen here at the Pleiades Cluster Center and to the millions watching via holovid ... welcome to the Apocalypse!" The crowd cheered as Lawless introduced the newly-christened show for the first time. "If you've been living under a rock somewhere, my name is Trent Laweless, and right now, this ring has been declared a Zone of Lawlessness! Now, without any further delay, let me introduce my guest ... the owner of Pleiades Outlaw Wrestling, Mr. Faustus Grael!"

The crowd erupted as Grael appeared, chanting his name as he made his way down to the ring. He entered the ring and shook Lawless' hand, then the commentator began to speak again. "Well, Mr. Grael, normally I've got questions for my guests, but in this case, I know you've come with a few announcements. So, by all means, Mr. Grael."

"Thank you, Trent," Grael said after taking the microphone he was offered. "Pleiades, are you ready for the return of POW?" The crowd cheered in the affirmative, and Grael smiled before continuing.

"Well, the name's not the only thing we're changing here. I'm not here to make POW the premier wrestling organization in the galaxy. I'm here to make POW the premier mixed-martial arts organization in the galaxy. From here on out, every match in this federation will be fought under mixed martial arts rules." The crowd cheered at this unexpected announcement, and Grael waited for the murmur to die down before continuing.

"In addition, effective right now, we have no champions. At the next POW pay-per-view, Anointing, we will have five championship matches: one for our women's division, one for each weight class, and one for our new crown jewel, the POW Open Championship.

"Next week, Prodigy will be the guest here on The Zone of Lawlessness and will explain a few things in more detail. The week following, your new commissioner, Jack Hood ..." ever the showman, Grael paused to let the crowd pop at the mention of Hood's name "... will announce the ten competitors that will fight for the championship belts at Anointing.

"That's enough talking for now, though ... you came for action, and Pleiades Outlaw Wrestling will deliver!" The crowd chanted P-O-W as Grael shook Lawless' hand once again and then the duo cleared the ring for the night's first matchup.

Serpentine vs. Nano
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Nano jumped up and down gleefully to start the match, bewildering Serpentine somewhat. During the lull in Serpentine's defenses, Nano struck out, rocking Serpentine with a huge back elbow and a kick to the head, both of which staggered the veteran. Nano kept pressing the offense and kept Serpentine off balance. She finally recovered and got in some offense, but as Nano was backed up against the ropes it caught Serpentine with a kick to the stomach and a big right hand for the knockout.

Nano defeated Serpentine with a KO (right hook) in the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
Qualitar entered the ring for the post match interview as Nano bounced up and down excitedly, clapping its hands. "Congratulations on the first mixed-martial arts win in POW history ... Nano. You're the answer to a trivia question now."

"We like to play!" Nano said in its strange, alien voice. "We like playing with her very much!" Nano walked over to Serpentine and tried to help her up, but she shoved Nano's assistance away, leaving the ring angrily. Nano tipped its head to the side curiously, then after a few moments set right off after Serpentine.

Excalibur vs. Mike Fortune
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Excalibur took the action to the mat quickly with a big slam out of the clinch. He quickly got into Fortune's guard and tried unsuccessfully to work into a variety of different submission holds. Fortune eventually got back to his feet, but Excalibur took him right back down with another slam. He controlled the rest of the round on the mat, but could never lock in a finishing hold.

ROUND TWO - Fortune had learned his lesson from the first round and kept his distance until Excalibur left him an opening. Fortune then staggered Excalibur with a big elbow to the forehead, then tied him up in the clinch and threw a punishing barrage of punches and knees to the body. Excalibur broke the clinch towards the end of the round, but never got in any significant offense.

ROUND THREE - Fortune dropped Excalibur quickly with a punch combination ending with a big uppercut then tried to lock in a choke, but Excalibur reversed it and got into side control on Fortune. After some grappling and an unsuccessful attempt at a choke, Excalibur reared his legs up and drove a massive knee down into Fortune's ribs, driving all the air out of him for the knockout.

Excalibur defeated Mike Fortune with a KO (knee to body) in the third round

- Post-Match Interview -
"Excalibur," Qualitar began, "that was very impressive out there. While neither of you have much MMA experience, Mike Fortune's obviously been fighting much longer than you have, but that didn't seem to affect your performance at all."

"Thank you, Qualitar," the young man replied. "I've been watching a lot of film and training hard with Jack and Scion, and it seems to be paying off. I've got a lot to prove this year and a lot of people to make proud, and I'm going to do everything I can to do that." The fans politely cheered as Excalibur left, appreciative of the effort and his new attitude.

Dante vs. Ahnu
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Both fighters seemed very happy to keep the action on their feet and slow paced as the felt one another out, Dante got the far better of their few exchanges, though, landing several strong strikes and looking much sharper than Ahnu.

ROUND TWO - Ahnu came out much more aggresively this round, unleashing a flurry of kicks and forcing Dante into the clinch. After softening him up with knees and punches, Ahnu took Dante down with a big rolling hip throw that dumped Dante on his head. Ahnu pressed the attack to the ground, but Dante's matwork was far superior and he took control away from Ahnu, getting the better of their exchanges on the mat and in the clinch the rest of the round.

ROUND THREE - Ahnu lashed out with two big rolling backfists to start the round. He went for a third, but as he did, Dante simultaneously caught him with a left hook to the back of the head, leaving both men staggered. Ahnu recovered first, and fired off with a devastating series of punches that put Dante on his back for good.

Ahnu defeated Dante with a KO (left, right, left combo) in the third round

- Post-Match Interview -
"Well, Ahnu," Qualitar began, but he was abruptly cut off as Dar Gova's hand picked representative in POW started to speak.

"Thayne," he said, "take a good look at what you see. What happened here tonight is but a taste of what you will experience when I have my time with you here in this ring. You will fall, Thayne, just as your people have." Ahnu reached up to a small cut on his cheek and ran his fingers across the blood, smearing it from one side of his face to the other like war paint. "This I swear."

[Justin Case]

All Hail BDS! He's back and giving us some stellar matches! Not a bad first showing! I once toyed with the idea of just doing a MMA fed. So many feds, so little time. Hope you keep this one up Brutha!

[BDS]

Thanks! I plan on keeping it up ... it's been something I've wanted to do for a while, and I'm finally finding the time.

[BDS]

POW Apocalypse (episode 102)
01.08.2122 from Pleiades Cluster Center

Nero vs. Matinee Idol
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Nero started off throwing ferocious strikes, busting Matinee Idol open above the eye with a quick left jab. When the referee restarted the action, Matinee Idol weathered another storm of blows and quickly clinched up with the AniMan. Nero tried repeatedly to take Matinee Idol down, finally succeeding with an arm drag. On the mat, Matinee Idol took control of the action, using his guard to prevent Nero from doing anything while attempting several submissions.

ROUND TWO - Nero came out swinging again, quickly dropping Matinee Idol with a backfist. He pounced on his downed opponent again, and Matinee Idol didn't react nearly as quickly as last time, letting Nero get into the mount. A brief flurry of punches later saw Matinee Idol unconscious and gave the match to Nero.

Nero defeated Matinee Idol with a KO (savage punches to head) in the second round

- Post-Match Interview -
"Hut-hut!" Dr. Barnabas called out from the corner, and Nero quickly sprung up off of Nero and came to Barnabas' side as he entered the ring.

"An impressive performance, Dr. Barnabas," Qualitar noted.

"Indeed," Barnabas replied, almost dismissively, "although I don't know why you would expect anything different. Nero, just like all of my other creations, represents the pinnacle of evolution."

"As does Rubicion?" Nero snarled fiercely at the mention of Rubicon's name, but another quick hut from Barnabas calmed the AniMan down.

"I will deal with Rubicon in time," Barnabas replied testily. "In my own time. He will pay the price for his disobedience. Come, Nero!"

Silas vs. Puma
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - After a brief exchange of strikes, the two big fighters locked into the clinch. After a long stretch in the clinch with no action, the referee separated them. After the restart, Puma quickly dropped Silas with a haymaker and tried to get into the mount for palm strikes, but Silas deftly caught him and nearly sunk in a figure four arm lock. Puma pulled back stood up off the mat as time expired.

ROUND TWO - Puma caught Silas with a quick jab and cross combination that sent his head snapping back as they closed, but the big man fired back in return and the two started trading bombs. Eventually Silas got the upper hand, forcing Puma back to the ropes and clinching up with him. In the clinch, Silas got multiple takedowns with a hip sweep throw, but Puma's agility kept Silas locking up with him in the clinch rather than getting to the ground.

ROUND THREE - Puma tried to take Silas' head off with a wild swing, but Silas ducked and took him down with a fireman's carry. Puma dragged Silas down with him and rolled him into the mount and started throwing strikes, eventually getting side control and throwing vicious knees to Silas' head. Silas eventually got under the ropes and the ref restarted the two in the grapple, with Silas getting to a back mount and eventually sinking in a figure four arm lock. Puma managed to free himself, but most of the rest of the round was spent on the mat with Silas in full control of the action.

DECISION - "The judges have all scored the match with a score of 29-28 in favor of your winner ... Silas!"

Silas defeated Puma by unanimous decision

- Post-Match Interview -
"So, ah, Silas," Qualitar started, stammering over Silas' new moniker for a moment, "congratulations on your first MMA victory. You handled a fierce challenge in Puma, one that many people didn't think you were up to."

"It is just like wrestling with the pigs back in Arkansas, bah-DEE!" Silas replied enthusiastically between gasps of breath.

"Pigs?" Qualitar replied incredulously. "Arkansas?"

"Da! I am loving them both much!" Silas cupped his hands to his mouth and let out a respectable hog call before leaving the ring, high-fiving fans as he walked to the back.

- The Zone of Lawlessness -
Trent Lawless stood in the middle of the ring with a smug grin on his face and a microphone in his hand. His voice rang out the now-familiar introduction to his weekly segment. "This ring has just been declared a Zone of Lawlessness! Now, lets get down to business and give a warm Zone of Lawlesness greeting to POW's President of Operations, Prodigy!"

Prodigy came out to polite applause and entered the ring confidently. Lawless said, "Well, I'm normally used to doing the talking here - at least part of it - but just like last week, I know you've got announcements, so have at it, El Presidente."

Lawless handed the microphone to Prodigy, who began to speak. "Thank you, Trent. I'm out here tonight to announce POW's new PPV format to the galaxy's best fans. Every month at our PPV Supercards, we will have five championship matches - one for our female fighters, one for each of the three POW weight classes, and the POW Open Championship, which any male competitor will be eligible to compete for.

"At the beginning of each month, the POW Championshp Committee will determine the rankings for each weight class, and the number one ranked fighter in each class will get a title shot. In addition, each month will see a different weight class will send a representative to compete for the POW Open Championship. The number one ranked figher will have the first choice, and if he refuses and would rather compete for the class title, the number two ranked figher will go, instead.

"As for everyone else, every fighter who's medically cleared will compete once a month, either at one of our Apocalypse shows, or at our second monthly Supercard!" The crowd finally popped at this announcement. "Each month we will have another PPV where we will have a King of the Cage tournament - eight men will compete inside a cage in a one-night tournament. The winner will defend his trophy the next month against seven new men." The crowd cheered loudly again at the mention of the cage.

"And it isn't just those cards where we'll break out the cage, you'll get them at every POW Supercard, so all of our championship matches will be inside the cage, as well!" Once again, the crowd voiced its approval.

"Like Mr. Grael said last week, we're out to be nothing less than the best mixed martial arts promotion in the galaxy, because our fans deserve nothing less! So enjoy tonight's main event, and get ready for our first King of the Cage event - coming this Sunday!"

Zed Marlowe vs. Thayne
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Thayne let out a mighty yell and then rushed Zed. He ducked the opening jab from his opponent and then rocked Zed back with a lightning-quick three-punch combination. He followed up with a devastating one-two that ended with a right cross that caught Zed's jaw with a loud crack and sent him crumpling to the mat. Thayne moved to mount Zed and throw more punches, but the referee stepped in and backed Thayne off, stopping the match.

Thayne defeated Zed Marlowe with a TKO (left jab, right cross combo) in the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
As the doctor attended to Zed, who appeared to have a badly broken jaw, Qualitar came over to Thayne for the post-match interview. "Wow," he started, "that was quite the performance, Thayne. Tell m-"

Thayne ripped the microphone from Qualitar's hand before he could continue. "Ahnu!" he called out loudly. "You want to make a statement in the ring? There was my response. I'm waiting."

He tossed the microphone down and hopped over the top rope. As he went to the back, he pumped his hand in the air and started a chant of "Free the Three!" that the crowd quickly joined along in. At the top of the ramp he extended both arms and faced the crowd, showing off the prominent tattoo on his chest. The camera zoomed in on the image of Thayne's family as the broadcast faded to black.

[BDS]

King of the Cage I
01.11.2122 from Pleiades Cluster Center

- Opening Round -
Hanuman vs. T. K.
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - T.K. started off with a series of well-placed strikes, but the much larger Hanuman eventually tied him up in the clinch, forcing a restart. As T.K. moved in after the restart, Hanuman leveled him with a big haymaker, then pounced on him on the mat, grinding his face into the cage as he pounded his head from the side. T.K. eventually worked out of it and delivered a thunderous knee strike to Hanuman's head, but the AniMan once again used his strength to pin T.K. down and start throwing strikes. T.K. got into a good guard and stalled the action, forcing another restart. After a vicious kick, Hanuman took T.K. down with a hip throw then started throwing knees to the body, forcing the ref to stop the match.

Hanuman defeated T. K. with a TKO (knee to body) in the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
"Nice job, Hanuman," Qualitar said. "You handled yourself quite well in there."

"Thanks, Qualitar," the AniMan responded, "I honestly feel a little more comfortable under these new MMA rules. It's a more primal kind of fighting, and I think it's an environment where my kin and I will excel."

"Does that include Dr. Barnabas' creations?" Qualitar asked.

Hanuman nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Barnabas created them to fight, not think, and I think that's going to serve them well here. This is a whole different world we're in now."

- Opening Round -
Indigo vs. Scion Nexus
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Nexus dropped Indigo with a hook almost immediately and the two went to the ground, but they stood right back up as Nexus moved away from an attempted arm look from Indigo. Back on their feet, the two traded strikes. Nexus rocked Indigo with another big hook, then took him down with a sweep from the clinch. The two jockeyed on the match, and Indigo got the upper hand and delivered a vicious knee to Nexus' head before standing back up. A few more strikes later, then Indigo caught Nexus with a vicious right to the eye that obviously concussed him, and the ref stopped the fight.

Indigo defeated Scion Nexus with a TKO (left kick, straight right combo) in the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
"An excellent performance in your MMA debut, Indigo," Qualitar said.

"Thank you, Qualitar," Indigo responded modestly. "I faced a great competitor out there in Scion, and I'm happy to have pulled out a win. Anything I can do to actually represent the qualities actually espoused by the True Way of Life."

"T.K. has already gone down tonight," Qualitar noted. "Is that a victory for your faction of the True Way?"

"That nonsense getting preached by Talisman isn't a faction of the True Way. It's not the True Way at all. T.K. is a fool for following him, and someday he'll see the light."

- Opening Round -
Hadrian vs. Jack of Diamonds
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Jack rocked Hadrian with strikes early, catching him with several big blows that left the AniMan stunned. Hadrian fought back by dropping Jack with a diving takedown, then mounting him to throw hammer blows. Jack eventually worked into the guard and stalled the action, forcing a restart. Jack backed Hadrian into the cage with a flurry of punches, dropping him to the mat where he threw elbows at Hadrian as time expired.

ROUND TWO - Jack came out throwing kicks again, but Hadrian quickly worked him into the clinch and used his size advantage to dominate Jack, wearing him down with shots to the body and powerful shoulder rams. He took Jack down with a massive slammed that looked like it might knock him out, but Jack was able to get back up. Hadrian locked him up in the clinch again, then dominated there for the rest of the round.

ROUND THREE - Jack was clearly tiring, and Hadrian quickly staggered him with several big punches then locked him in the clinch once again. He kept wearing Jack down with punches and trying to take him to the mat for a finish. He dominated the action, but could never get Jack in a position to put him away.

DECISION - "The judges have scored the match 28-26, 28-27, and 29-28 all for your winner by unanimous decision ... Hadrian!"

Hadrian defeated Jack of Diamonds by unanimous decision

- Post-Match Interview -
"Hut!" Dr. Barnabas called out, and once again one of his creations fell in line next to him for the interview.

"Another good showing for your team, Dr. Barnabas," said Qualitar.

"Did you expect less?" Barnabas asked irritably. "Darwin's Legacy represents what all of these other fools could only hope to be."

"Some would say that Darwin's Legacy is just a twisted imitation of what someone like Hanuman actually is."

"Hanuman is a weakling, just like all the rest!" Barnabas snapped. "For his sake, I hope that Indigo knocks him out. It will spare him the pain and indignity that a match against Hadrian in the finals would inflict upon him. Come, Hadrian!"

- Opening Round -
Mad Jester vs. Brainstorm
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - The action was slow in the first round, with both fighters spending a lot of time circling, looking for an opening. Brainstorm did manage to catch the Jester on the jaw for the round's only strong shot, but most of the kicks and punches thrown came from the Jester. Brainstorm seemed to be trying to think his way to victory.

ROUND TWO - Brainstorm apparently learned what he needed to in the first round. He opened up the second round with a front kick that the Jester stepped back to avoid, then charged forward with a vicious barrage of punches that drove him back to the cage, eventually knocking the Jester out against the cage wall.

Brainstorm defeated Mad Jester with a KO (strikes against the cage) in the second round

- Post-Match Interview -
"That was an impressive recover-" Once again, Qualitar was cut off as the microphone was torn from his hands.

"Nobody wants to hear you talk, Qualitar. And yes, it was impressive. It was me, you simpleton. No idiot like Comedy, the Mad Jester, Frank - whatever he's calling himself now - is going to beat me. I'm the smartest man in the building in any building I set foot into, and brains always defeat brawn. In this case, my opponent just so happened to have neither."

- Semifinals -
Hanuman vs. Indigo
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Indigo came out with a flurry that Hanuman was unprepared for. He drove his opponent back against the cage with ferocious combinations, then put him away with several hard shots to the jaw against the cage wall.

Indigo defeated Hanuman with a KO (strikes against the cage) in the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
"Wow, Indigo! That was an awesome display, and the fans clearly seemed to enjoy it." Indigo grinned somewhat as the fans roared their agreement with Qualitar's comment.

"Thanks, Qualitar," Indigo replied. "I knew I couldn't overpower him, so I was just trying to overwhelm him quickly."

"Well, it seemed to work just fine. Any preference on who you face in the finals?"

"No, none at all," Indigo said. "I'm just looking forward to the chance to bring a little glory to the True Way."

- Semifinals -
Hadrian vs. Brainstorm
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Brainstorm quickly took the fight to the ground and tried to lock Hadrian in a submission hold, but the big AniMan reversed the action on Brainstorm, who quickly scampered back to his feet. Hadrian then tied him up in the clinch and, much as with Jack, dominated his much smaller opponent from that position. He threw several big knees and took Brainstorm down with a huge slam into a hammerlock, but he could never put his opponent away.

ROUND TWO - Much as with the Jester in the first round, Brainstorm apparently learned what he needed in the first round. He forced Hadrian one way with a feint of a left, then threw a vicious kick to Hadrian's exposed jaw to knock him out cold.

Brainstorm defeated Hadrian with a KO (front kick) in the second round

- Post-Match Interview -
Qualitar started to say something, but Brainstorm just put his fingers to his lips and extended his other hand, palm up. Qualitar shrugged his shoulders and handed over the microphone. "You see," Brainstorm started, "that's what happens when you put one of the galaxy's foremost minds in the ring against a monkey. A monkey. Of course I'm going to beat a monkey. I bided my time, learned his patterns, and then flattened him, just like I'm going to do to that brainwashed fool Indigo in the finals."

- Finals -
Indigo vs. Brainstorm
for the POW King of the Cage
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - The action was slow for the round, with the two fighters spending much of the round in the clinch. Somewhat surprisingly, Brainstorm dominated the action, landing several big shots in the clinch and closing out the round with a devastating head wheel hip throw. The throw rocked Indigo and might have opened the door for Brainstorm to end the fight had it not been for the bell.

ROUND TWO - Brainstorm controlled the action with strikes to start and moved into the clinch, looking for another hip throw. Indigo was ready for him this time, though, and rolled with the throw, taking Brainstorm down to the ground with him. The two jockeyed for position for quite a while until Indigo got into the mount and started trying to sink in an arm lock. Indigo eventually gave up on the arm and started throwing punches to Brainstorm's head. This was the opening Brainstorm needed, though, as he caught an arm and flipped into a perfect arm bar that quickly forced Indigo to tap out.

Brainstorm defeated Indigo with a submission (arm bar) in the second round

Brainstorm won the POW King of the Cage Trophy

- Post-Match Interview -
Qualitar didn't even bother getting up from his seat, instead opting to toss the microphone over the top of the cage to Brainstorm, which brought a laugh and a pop from the crowd. "Apparently you can be taught," Brainstorm said after bending down to pick up the microphone. "There might be hope for you after all."

The POW ring girls brought in the King of the Cage trophy, standing a monolithic seven-feet tall, and set it down in front of Brainstorm. Brainstorm set his hand on the trophy and addressed the crowd. "It's been an honor and a privilege to get out here in front of you bloodthirsty morons tonight and show you that it doesn't matter who's the biggest or who's the fastest; the only thing that matters is who's the smartest, and as we all know, that's me. I hope at least some of you were bright enough to put down my name when you bet some of those credits you slaved away for all week on the tournament. And if you didn't, then maybe you'll be able to remember that before you throw your money again next month."

The debris was flying freely into the ring at this point, and Brainstorm just raised the gigantic trophy over his head and smiled smugly as he was pelted with empty cups and wadded up programs. His music played as he triumphantly left the cage, soaking in the jeers from the crowd he'd just taunted.

[Trent Lawless]

Whoo hoo! Some fine POW action here. And may I say that soon (fingers crossed), all you MMA fans are going to hail BDS's ingenuity. This fed would seem to be the fruit of many hours of labor, and is probably the first POW fed to have what will hopefully be the *complete* MMA advanced rules. More on this to come!

[BDS]

Thanks, Mark! Hopefully everyone gets to play with some of the fun new toys soon, too. =D

[BDS]

POW Apocalypse (episode 103)
01.15.2122 from Pleiades Cluster Center

Gordo vs. J. J. Smooth
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Gordo devastated J.J. with a pair of spinning hammer fists early on that rocked the big man and took him down to the mat. Gordo followed him to the ground, but the action stalled quickly and the referee stood them back up. After the restart, J.J. caught Gordo with an overhand left that busted him open badly. After a quick visit from the cut man, the referee decided Gordo could continue. The two then went into a cycle of Gordo landing strikes, J.J. getting into the clinch, and then getting separated by the referee multiple times. The finish came out of the match's fourth restart, with Gordo catching J.J. with a big uppercut that put him out on his feet, then dropping him with a jab before the ref could stop the action.

Gordo defeated J. J. Smooth with a TKO (left jab) at the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
"Yee-haaa!" Gordo shouted as Qualitar came over for the post-fight interview.

"You seem excited, Gordo," Qualitar said with a grin. "Does a return to your birth name signify a return to winning ways, too?"

Gordo smiled and nodded his head. "I feel like myself again," he said, "an' that helps a lot. A ain't hafta pretend to be somethin' I'm not anymore. Me an' Silas can just train together an' get ready to be in the ring."

"So it's okay for Silas to pretend to be something he's not, then?" Qualitar asked.

Gordo laughed. "It works fer him - you saw what he did to ol' Puma. Whatever works fer him is good by me."

"Alright, then," Qualitar said in closing, "thanks for your time and congratulations."

- The Zone of Lawlessness -
"This ring has just been declared a Zone of Lawlessness!" announced POW commentator Trent Lawless. "And as such, let me introduce perhaps the most appropriate guest to ever enter the Zone of Lawlessness. Your POW Commissioner ..." the crowd at the Pleiades Cluster Center roared "... Jack Hood!"

Hood appeared at the top of the entrance ramp and smiled a broad, metallic smile. He was carrying an old flagpole flying a battered POW flag. Hood walked down to the ring confidently as the crowd cheered wildly. Lawless got visibly nervous as Hood entered the ring. "Mr. Hood," he finally stammered, "it's all yours." Lawless handed Hood the microphone and quickly left the ring. Hood smiled at him again as if to chase him out of the ring with his vicious, metallic teeth, then waited for the crowd to quiet down before continuing.

"Long live the POW!" Hood shouted, riling up the crowd once more as he soaked in their cheers. When they'd once again calmed down, Hood got down to business. "Ol' Man Grael asked me to announce to all of ye the men and women I'd selected to compete for the championships at Anointing tonight. We'll start first with the competitors for the POW Female Championship. With Rhiannon taking a month off to recuperate, the choice was easy; Xenia and Morgana will face off over the Female Championship.

"For the lightweights," Hood paused briefly to chuckle, "I mean cruiserweights, it was a little more difficult. A lot of men deserved the chance, but in the end, I went with me gut and chose two men who just like to fight: Pendekar and Stigma!" The Pleiades crowd, already fond of the OFC fights from the CPC days, were pleased by the announcement. Hood smiled, then continued, "If ye liked that, then ye'll love this ... fighting for the heavyweight belt will be Shylock and Cypher!" Another roar of approval went up from the crowd.

"For the big men, one choice was easy: Rubicon! For his opponent, I chose a man with a boxing background and who's muscular instead of just fat, so he'll face off against Gunnar!

"Now finally, the Open Championship. Ol' Man Grael hand picked this one himself, givin' us two men that despise one another trying to rip the other's throat out to win a gold belt." Hood smiled disturbingly as the crowd cheered. "So in the main event at Anointing, ye'll be treated to Mensar and Euritar fighting it out for the POW Open Championship."

The crowd roared its approval, perhaps moreso for the appearance of Jack Hood than even for the announced matches. Hood started to wave the flag wildly above his head as the crowd chanted, "P-O-W! P-O-W!" The chants continued after Hood left the ring, escorting him all the way to the back.

Raze vs. Taurine
Match Notes: ROUND ONE - Taurine backed Raze up against the ropes with a quick flurry to start the match. Raze knocked the air out of him with a counterpunch to the stomach, though, and then dropped him to the mat with a shot to the jaw to end a short match in exciting fashion.

Raze defeated Taurine with a KO (punch to jaw) at the first round

- Post-Match Interview -
"So far," Qualitar started "we've seen Indigo do very well in the King of the Cage tournament, while T.K. struggled in his match, albeit against a much larger opponent. Now we've got this phenomenal performance from you here today, Raze."

Raze nodded. "This is just further proof of what the True Way of Life is really about. It's lead me down a straight path and cleared my head - it's taken some dark things from me. This year, I'm going to show everyone - especially T.K. and Talisman - just what a man who's been freed by the True Way can accomplish."

[Darth Turkish]

Hey.... how did you do the rounds?