POW by Aquinas

[aquinas]

POW Championship Role Call

Updated: 3/21/08


Wrestling
Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (HWC) -- Puma
Cruiserweight Wrestling Championship (CWC) -- Ahnu
Tag-Team Wrestling Championship (TWC) -- The Punks

Mixed Martial Arts
Heavyweight MMA Championship (HMC) -- Shylock
Cruiserweight MMA Championship (CMC) -- Stigma
Super Heavyweight MMA Championship -- Gunnar

POW Undisputed Winner -- Cypher (Spring '08)

[aquinas]

(going to be pasting in my results from the other forum, just to get it up to speed here)


Special Report....

The CPC's struggle to identify itself and reclaim its luster took a dramatic shift recently with the purchase of the federation by Pleiades Cluster Center owner and reknowned promoter Faustus Grael.

That news captured the sports world's attention alone, but was nothing compared to the stunning details that followed.

The CPC had long been trying to create a unique identity, and though its "Legends" run nearly propelled it to the top, reality and finances combined to cripple the CPC. Bloated salaries, egos, and inconsistent booking forced the Colby-Pelf ownership's hand, and a sale was made.

Faustus Grael clearly is not staring at the GWF and trying to emulate them. His bold venture is to utilize the strengths of his existing CPC roster as well to tap into a highly popular market that has struggled to find a mainstream forum -- mixed martial arts.

Faustus Grael promptly disbanded what we know as the CPC, and is relaunching as the POW! The once-underground fighting club is back with a vengeance.....and will operate as both an MMA and a wrestling federation.

To kick things off and to promote the MMA format, POW will begin as strictly MMA for a time....and eventually bring its wrestling format back.

These will be the championships:

Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (HWC) -- Euritar will carry his championship over
Cruiserweight Wrestling Championship (CWC) -- Dante will carry his championship over
Tag-Team Wrestling Championship (TWC) -- tbd

Heavyweight MMA Championship (HMC) -- tbd
Cruiserweight MMA Championship (CMC) -- tbd
Super Heavyweight MMA Championship -- tbd

Coming first will be the POW To Be the Best.... series.....starting with a multi-day 8-man tournament to crown the first Super Heavyweight MMA Championship!

[aquinas]

(POW MMA)

POW To Be The Best....
The Super Heavyweight Championship Tournament

-- The show began with camera crews following a fuming Dr. Barnabas as he stalked about the back area of the Pleiades Fighters' Guild Arena.
-- Barnabas at last found a room he was looking for and shoved the door open. New commissioner Jack Hood was seated behind a desk, booted feet up, bottle of some strange liquid in one hand, cigar in the other. The commish did not look amused by the interruption.
-- Barnabas snapped, " I know you're new here, but what's the meaning of this?" He gestured at a crumpled program for the upcoming card.
-- Jack Hood scowled at him. " Ye'd better be having a real good reason for bargin' into me office like that...."
-- Barnabas rolled his eyes impatiently. " Putting Puma and Hadrian against each other in the 1st round of this tournament? Is this something your predecessor put you up to before he left? It smells of Prell and his little crusade against me!"
-- Hood cackled. " Ye obviously don't know me, ye bald git. I listen to no one but meself and me employer. The seedings were random. Tough break for ye."
-- Barnabas threw down the program and hissed, " Convenient. Well, I can already see that you're going to be a 'wonderful' commissioner." He spun around and headed for the door.
-- Hood slammed his booze bottle onto the table, prompting the good doctor to stop and turn around. Hood sneered with his wooden teeth and muttered, " If ye or yer wrestlers have any problems with Jack Hood, ye may have to take them up with me....in the ring. That goes for yer animals....and for yerself too."
-- Barnabas stiffened, grew red, and stormed out.


Round 1
-----------------
Mensar -vs- Gordo
-- The first MMA match of the new POW was a stunner! Mensar kept Gordo on defense for much of the match, even nearly scoring a submission though the ref suspended the match at that point. When the match resumed, Gordo unloaded a crowd-gasping haymaker on Mensar that sent the behemoth to the mat, bloodied and unconscious! The ref stopped the fight, and Gordo became the first MMA victor -- and the first upset winner too!
Gordo TKOs Mensar via haymaker

Hanuman -vs- Gunnar
-- Gunnar tried to dominate this match with his superior striking abilities, and was largely successful. In the end though, it was a series of vicious elbow strikes on a downed Hanuman that gave Gunnar a huge KO victory.
Gunnar KOs Hanuman via elbow strikes

Rubicon -vs- Silas
-- And here was the first lightning-fast match of the MMA era of the former CPC. Rubicon -- fresh from separating himself from Dr. Barnabas -- went right at the redneck lifestyle-embracing Russian and drilled him with two front kicks for an abrupt KO!
-- The crowd went crazy for the fast beatdown! Rubicon pumped his fists in the air and yelled repeatedly, "I am Rubicon! I am my own man!"
Rubicon KOs Silas via front kick

Hadrian -vs- Puma
-- Dr. Barnabas paced the perimeter of the MMA ring, obviously frustrated by his dealing with the new commissioner.
-- The crowd largely booed as Puma made his return to action. The 'specimen' said nothing, instead simply striding into the ring and awaiting the bell. This turned out to be a nice little match, and it became immediately obvious that Puma's grappling skills may be unmatched in POW. Once he got Hadrian down, Puma kept alternating between various submission moves until his 'ally' tapped out.
-- Dr. Barnabas seemed pleased, though he 'officially' was there for Hadrian and Hadrian alone. He tended to the Darwin's Legacy member, but gave Puma an approving nod.
Puma makes Hadrian SUBMIT to a sit out side choke

Round 2
-----------------
-- Day 2 of the Super Heavyweight MMA Championship Tournament began. Commissioner Jack Hood, to a huge pop from the Pleiades crowd, announced the lineup.

Gordo -vs- Gunnar
-- Gordo had survived Mensar and held his own here too. Gunnar even received a vicious haymaker similar to the one that downed the big man! But he was able to stay on his feet and eventually got Gordo off his, ending the match with repeated mounted punches.
Gunnar KOs Gordo via mounted punches

Rubicon -vs- Puma
-- Dr. Barnabas was seen pacing to and fro in front of a vidscreen in the back. This match was obviously huge for him, with his newly-returned specimen taking on the "one that got away."
-- Puma once again showed an imposing offense that focused on getting his opponent to the mat as quickly as possible. He was able to topple the big Rubicon and concentrate his series of submission holds on him....culminating in the sit out side choke again ending the match!
-- Barnabas was almost giddy backstage.
Puma makes Rubicon SUBMIT to a sit out side choke.

Round 3
-----------------
-- There was an hour intermission to allow the two finalists a chance to rest. The crowd was thrilled to a vignette of great POW moments from years past. Jack Hood was shown in a few particularly vicious battles, which the crowd ate up.

Gunnar -vs- Puma
-- Puma's grappling prowess continued! He quickly got Gunnar down to the mat. A keylock later, and a new champion was crowned!
Puma makes Gunnar SUBMIT to a keylock, becoming the first Super Heavyweight MMA Champion!

-- Puma wordlessly accepted his title from Commissioner Jack Hood, then stalked out of the ring area. Dr. Barnabas congratulated him backstage....but the celebration was interrupted by Rubicon, who charged onto the scene and tackled Puma into a table!
-- Security quickly got involved before any damage could be done.

[aquinas]

(POW MMA)

POW To Be The Best....
The Cruiserweight MMA Championship Tournament

-- 8 men have been selected to participate in the Cruiserweight MMA title-determining tournament. Dante had been one of the selected, but has -- at this point -- elected to focus on strictly wrestling (already holding the wrestling equivalent of this title).
-- Many were surprised that Heavyweight Wrestling Champ Euritar opted to participate. He was interviewed by Qualitar at the start of the event and responded to this, " I am out to show the galaxy that I am the greatest, period. I captured the heavyweight title quickly after returning to the CPC. No one has been able to take it from me. Next up, I will show that -- it doesn't matter if we're talking wrestling or mixed martial arts -- I am the real deal."

Round #1
--------------

Euritar -vs- Stigma
-- Euritar may be the real deal, but Stigma came into this one hell-bent on proving his worth in MMA combat. He got Euritar down early and worked at his legs, making the wrestling champ tap out!
Stigma makes Euritar SUBMIT to a calf slicer/toe hold combo
-- After the match, a visibly frustrated Euritar limped out of the ring area, only to be stopped by Qualitar. " I know, I know....that wasn't the most glorious start to my MMA career. Stigma shut me up there. But I'm not deterred....just watch next time...."

Ahnu -vs- T.K.
-- Ahnu returns! And what an impression he made -- because this match stole the show.
-- Ahnu went at T.K. aggressively from the get-go, wearing him down and looking poised to polish things off with a KO. However, amazingly, T.K. refused to go down, and just kept coming back. Ahnu grew frustrated, and before he knew it, was down on the mat. T.K. put him away with a wrenching keylock!
T.K. makes Ahnu SUBMIT to a keylock
-- After the match, Thayne rushed down to the ring, yelling Ahnu's name! Security stopped him before he could make it to his hated enemy.

Brainstorm -vs- Pendekar
-- Brainstorm has been claiming all week that he is taking MMA very seriously and ought not be overlooked. Pendekar came into this one a clear favorite, but Brainstorm showed him up early. However, Pendekar's methodical, unflappable style enabled him to weather the early onslaught and wear down Brainstorm. When Pendekar slammed 'Storm to the mat thunderously with an o soto makikomi, this one was all over.
Pendekar KOs Brainstorm via o soto makikomi

Thayne -vs- Zed Marlowe
-- The crowd roared with excitement when Thayne nearly KOed Marlowe immediately with a left kick to the knee followed by a right to the head. Zed managed to hang on, but never was truly able to shake it off. Thayne sealed the deal with a forceful uppercat that will be replayed on sports news programs for weeks to come. Vicious.
Thayne KOs Marlowe via uppercut


Round #2
--------------
-- POW owner Faustus Grael appeared on day 2 to kick off the final stretch of the Cruiserweight tournament. The Pleiades-heavy crowd chanted his name throughout his announcements.

Stigma -vs- T.K.
-- This would be a close runner-up to T.K.-Ahnu for top match. Stigma and T.K. put on a show. Stigma rocked T.K. several times with strikes, and displayed considerable skills in clinching moves, but much like his match against Ahnu, T.K. refused to stay down. He used an impressive fireman's carry and drop three times in this match, each time more devastating -- and the third enough that Stigma hit the mat so hard he couldn't get up.
T.K. KOs Stigma via fireman's carry and drop

Pendekar -vs- Thayne
-- Insiders were expecting Pendekar to put on a clinic here, but they were in for a rude awakening. Thayne, riding off a high from downing Marlowe in dramatic fashion, made an even more stunning impact here. With both men still in the feeling-out stage of this match, Thayne delivered an uppercut that rocked Pendekar so hard that the referee immediately stopped the match. Pendekar was bloodied and unconscious as medics tended to him.
Thayne TKOs Pendekar via uppercut.

Round #3
--------------
-- An hour intermission gave Thayne and T.K. some time to recoup.
-- Qualitar interviewed Cypher about the upcoming Heavyweight MMA tournament.
-- Qualitar began, " There is much anticipation in particular about this heavyweight MMA tournament. The 8 men haven't been selected yet, but you are expected to be one of them....as well as notables like Saboteur, Absalom, and Shylock...."
-- Cypher grimaced. " Please. I'm surprised that Shylock isn't on a diet, trying to get his weight down to cruiserweight just to avoid facing me. He knows that I'll embarrass him in the MMA ring like I always have in the wrestling ring. This is the start of the Cypher era. POW will see me at the top of wrestling and MMA. And unlike Euritar, who shoots his mouth off about how great he is and then taps out in his first MMA match, I'm going to back up my words with actions. Remember what I said -- this is the start of the Cypher era."

T.K. -vs- Thayne
-- The Cruiserweight MMA Title was brought out by Faustus Grael.
-- Thayne tried for his now-trademark uppercut early, but T.K. evaded getting the brunt of it. T.K. tried to get Thayne to the mat quickly, but the Alpha Lyraean kept on his feet, where he could focus on his strikes.
-- Ultimately, the two locked up, vying for the upper hand, when Thayne executed a rolling knee bar on T.K. T.K. tried feverishly to escape, but couldn't, and had to tap out.
Thayne makes T.K. SUBMIT to a rolling knee bar

-- In a lineup featuring men with strong fighting backgrounds, Thayne emerges as the Cruiserweight MMA Champion!

[aquinas]

(POW MMA)

POW To Be The Best....
The Heavyweight MMA Championship Tournament

-- This was the one people were buzzing about. Some surprises came out of the 8 names announced for the tourney. Mike Fortune was expected to participate, but announced that he "wants to sit this one out." He apparently wants to see exactly how the MMA matches pan out before he commits to it, while focusing for now on wrestling.
-- Shylock came into the arena with an all-business look on his face. Splatter accompanied him, as always. Qualitar tried to get a word in with him, but no luck.
-- Cypher made a comment that, " Shylock's got his mind on enemies and damsels in distress. The Shylock I remember would be laser-focused on fight club style action like this. But trust me -- he's not focused."

Round #1
-------------

Shylock -vs- Indigo
-- Were Cypher's assumptions correct? Shylock came into this tournament the favorite, but he was in a shocker here. Shylock-Indigo was an absolute war. Shylock seemed to have Indigo beaten on a few occasions, but could not seal the deal.
-- When Indigo had Shylock down in the center of the ring and locked in a rear choke hold, the crowd roared with anticipation.....Shylock seemed unable to wriggle free.....and after what seemed to be an eternity....he tapped out!
Indigo made Shylock SUBMIT to a rear choke hold

-- Splatter tended to Shylock after the match. Onlookers could see Shylock, from the entranceway, cackling to himself. It seemed improbable that a warrior like Shylock would have his head anywhere but the battles before him....but Cypher may have been on to something!

Cypher -vs- Mad Jester
-- The crowd seemed to get a kick out of Comedy's new persona, the Mad Jester. The Jester seemed out of place in an MMA match, but he proved to be a formidable opponent. It began to appear possible that the heavyweight tournament would see its top two contenders eliminated right off the bat!
-- However, Cypher managed to overcome early problems to wrest control in this one. He got Jester down and used his superior grappling skills to put this one away.
Cypher made Jester SUBMIT to a triangle choke

Saboteur -vs- Raze
-- Much has been made of Saboteur's grand return to the CPC/POW, especially his nefarious plots involving Rhiannon and, or so he had thought, Splatter. Saboteur seemed to have an extra spring in his step as he came down for this one. The embarrassing loss by Shylock no doubt brought him great joy.
-- Raze seemed focused here, but this one was brief. Saboteur blocked a punch by Raze and then cocked back with a blast to the jaw that was immediately followed by a sickening crack! Raze went down, clutching his jaw and spitting blood. The referee stopped this one!
Saboteur TKOs Raze via blast to jaw
-- Raze is injured 2 fight cards with an apparent broken jaw

Absalom -vs- Excalibur
-- Another gutty battle. Both men withstood a lot of damage. Excalibur managed a keylock that Absalom could not escape.
Excalibur made Absalom SUBMIT to a keylock

Round #2
-------------
-- The second day of Heavyweight tournament action began with Commissioner Jack Hood announcing that he would be in action on the 1st POW MMA fight card after the tournaments! The Pleiades crowd went wild at this announcement. The infamous fighter was making his grand return to action!

Indigo -vs- Cypher
-- Indigo was hoping to be THE Cinderella story of the MMA tournaments. He had gotten past heavy favorite Shylock, and then proceeded to scare Cypher with vicious strikes!
-- Cypher struggled a bit until he was able to down Indigo and focus on his vastly superior grappling arsenal. In the end, it was heel kicks to Indigo's kidneys that forced the translucent one out of action.
Cypher KOs Indigo with heel kicks to kidneys

Saboteur -vs- Excalibur
-- Jack of Diamonds came down with Excalibur, to serve as his cornerman! The rumors of their alliance are true!
-- The feel-good story ended there. Saboteur destroyed Excalibur, making him tap out quickly. Can anyone stop the masked conspirator?
Saboteur made Excalibur SUBMIT to a knee bow

Round #3
-------------
-- Cypher was seen backstage tapping his fists and getting ready. Shylock, of all people, entered the locker room and muttered, " Look, I can't stand you, and you can't stand me. I'm going to kick your butt the first chance I get. But do me a favor?"
-- Cypher laughed. " A favor? What a novel concept. What's that?"
-- Shylock gestured in the direction of the ring area and snapped, " Kick Saboteur's butt."
-- " Consider it done," Cypher retorted, slapping his hands together. " And then I'll kick yours."

Cypher -vs- Saboteur
-- This one wasn't long. Both men tried to end it with vicious strikes, but it somehow seemed destined to be determined on the mat. Cypher kept trying submission holds on the elusive Saboteur....until he found the right one in an anaconda choke!
-- Saboteur roiled about trying to escape, as the crowd din grew louder and louder. He cried out in a combination of pain and frustration....and Cypher would not be denied. Saboteur tapped out and a new Heavyweight MMA Champ was crowned!
Cypher made Saboteur SUBMIT to an anaconda choke, becoming the first POW Heavyweight MMA Champion!

[aquinas]

(POW MMA)

POW The Warrior's Way
from the Deneb Armoury

POW makes its first venture outside of the Pleiades system, bringing its unique brand to the venerable Deneb Armoury. Tonight, it's MMA action!

-- The show began with Mike Fortune showing up, clearly decked out for some MMA combat. Interviewer Qualitar quickly intercepted him. "Mike Fortune? I thought you had no interest in the MMA side of POW right now? I thought you were going to focus on wrestling?"
-- Fortune smiled. " Well, let's just say that I got an offer I couldn't refuse. When the commissioner challenges you to a fight, you play the game. And what the hell. The Hitman for Hire will gun down 'the legend'."

Matinee Idol -vs- Jack of Diamonds
-- Zak Polter makes his debut in POW. He strode down to the ring with a glitzy robe, looking supremely confident. When the occasional (very occasional) fan tried to high-five or shake his hand, he scoffed and recoiled, acting as if he was being approached by a leper. " Please, just because I'm a celebrity doesn't mean you can paw and grope me."
-- Jack of Diamonds has made himself a legend through wrestling prowess, but he looked very comfortable in MMA action against the rookie. To his credit, Polter got in some nice shots and rocked Jack a few times.
-- The ending came when Jack lunged at Idol with a lightning-fast elbow, and sent him crumpling to the mat, unresponsive!
Jack of Diamonds KOs Matinee Idol via leaping elbow punch

Xenia -vs- Nano
-- One of the most bizarre entities to enter the wrestling world, Nano kept ranting on about being excited to finally "play". The fans at first didn't know what to make of a being that was actually many small organisms collected into one human-esque force field, but the seemingly happy-go-lucky nature of Nano, coupled by the complete lack of charisma in her opponent, slowly began to win over the fans.
-- That, and this was actually a decent match. Xenia seemed to be the heavy favorite, but had a hard time dealing with an opponent who didn't seem to fatigue.
-- Ultimately, Xenia caught her opponent with a strong uppercut, prompting Nano to exclaim, " That was a good one! That's enough for me!" and then to stay down.
Xenia KOs Nano with a short uppercut

Crucible -vs- Euritar
-- The crowd popped for the Heavyweight Wrestling Champion as he strode down for another MMA shot. Euritar looked even more focused this time. Crucible seemed to be trying to get under Euritar's skin (or, more to the point, in his head) at the onset, but Euritar would have none of it.
-- The cruiserweight phenom largely kept the match away from the mat, focusing on strikes on his smaller opponent. A nice combination put this one away.
Euritar KOs Crucible via right, left combo

-- Matinee Idol was seen recovering backstage. Brainstorm strolled into his locker room and quipped, " Not a great debut, but you've got promise."
-- Idol snorted. " Gee, thanks. I'm overwhelmed by your poignant...."
-- Chuckling, Brainstorm held out a hand and cut in, " Save the sarcasm, my boy. I like your style. I think you've got potential. From what I've seen and heard, your fortunes are going to lie in a wrestling ring, but an MMA ring....but either way, if you want a few pointers from one of the all-time greats, you just let me know."
-- Idol furrowed his brow dramatically. "Oh? You'll put me in contact with one then?"
-- The two laughed. " It's an offer young wrestlers like you should kill for. Think on it."

Jack Hood -vs- Mike Fortune
-- The Deneb crowd weren't nearly as gushing towards Hood as the Pleiades faithful. In fact, the heelish Mike Fortune drew a better reaction!
-- For a guy who seemed very ambivalent about MMA, Fortune came out strong. He and Hood traded vicious shots, grappled almost evenly....and in the end, to the surprise of many, Fortune did enough damage to Hood's ribs that he couldn't go on!
Mike Fortune KOs Jack Hood with punches to ribs

-- The cameras found Shylock and Splatter preparing in the locker area to make their way ti ringside. Splatter patted Shylock on the shoulder and muttered, " Show 'em who is going to rule MMA. Show 'em you mean business."

Shylock -vs- Absalom
-- Shylock struggled in his debut MMA match against Indigo. Much was expected here in his second match, against the formidable Absalom.
-- The crowd was shocked as this match went on and on, with Absalom seeming to have an answer for everything Shylock threw at him. Shylock had many of his moves countered, and seemed to fatigue with each passing minute.
-- Absalom kept trying to make Shylock tap out....and almost succeeded until Shylock got him to the mat and began bludgeoning him with elbows. Absalom's gas tank had run out too and he couldn't fight back!
Shylock KOs Absalom with mounted elbows

-- Afterwards, Saboteur came creeping down towards the ring, where Shylock himself was recovering. He nearly got there when Splatter intercepted, waving Arsenal menacingly! Saboteur backed halfway back up the ramp, holding out his hands as if to say, " Point taken."
-- Absalom meanwhile recovered and shoved Shylock, clearly frustrated by another loss. Shylock shoved him back, in no mood. The two began tussling again!
-- Splatter turned to watch the ring activity, and Saboteur took advantage, charging and clotheslining the manager from behind.
-- Shylock and Absalom were locked up when Saboteur slid into the ring and clipped Shylock's knee, sending him down. He began kicking him repeatedly.
-- Absalom watched for a moment and then pushed Saboteur roughly. " I don't need you fighting my battles," he snapped to the masked one.
-- Saboteur shrugged again, but then decked Absalom to the mat. Security quickly got in before things got worse.

[aquinas]

(POW Wrestling)

POW Underground
from Rigel Dome

-- POW showcases wrestling for the first time! A sold-out Rigel Dome excitedly awaits the new brand of "CPC" action!

Raze -vs- Silas
-- The crowd seemed really into Silas' awkward redneck persona. He strolled down with his new t-shirt and a can of beer, which he placed next to the timekeeper.
-- This one was a nice intro match. The always-intense Raze pulled off a solid victory here with his powerbomb finisher.
Raze PINs Silas via AWAKENING

-- After the match, Silas retrieved his beer and saddled up to Qualitar. He said it was a tough loss, but that he was going to have a few "Silas-weisers" and get ready for whatever his next challenge is.


Mensar -vs- Scion Nexus
-- Scion drew a sizable pop from a Rigel crowd who many times over had hosted the legendary Lord Nexus in his esteemed GWF career.
-- Mensar looked to be in a foul mood. He made mince meat of Nexus here.
Mensar PINs Scion Nexus after HOSTILE TAKEOVER

-- Mensar grabbed a mic afterwards and yelled, " I know you're listening, Hood! Do the right thing -- sign Mensar versus Euritar now. Euritar has been avoiding me. He knows that I'm going to destroy him and 'takeover' his championship. Sign it!"
-- He started headed out of the ring, but then stopped and smiled. " Either way, I've got a big surprise lined up for Euritar, for POW....and everybody else. Take notice -- the Mensar takeover has begun!"


Gunnar -vs- Hanuman
-- Gunnar continued his hot streak with a solid win over Hanuman. Since ditching Jack and the Court, Gunnar seems to have found himself and is making waves.
Gunnar PINs Hanuman after TOP GUN


King's Men (Excalibur & Jack of Diamonds) -vs- Matinee Idol & Brainstorm
-- Jack's TKO of Idol in their MMA match, and Brainstorm's offer to mentor Idol afterwards was the backdrop to this tag-team affair.
-- Idol strolled down to ringside, regarding the crowd with a look that made it seem as if he swallowed a lemon before coming down. He swatted at hands that reached toward him.
-- This match largely comprised of Excalibur, with his new lease on life after committing to Exo-King and Jack of Diamonds, dominating the arrogant newcomer. So flustered from the attack, Idol never even tagged out, much to Brainstorm's obvious annoyance.
King's Men WIN after Excalibur PINs Matinee Idol following POINT OF THE SWORD

-- A frustrated Polter snatched a mic and began berating his opponents, Jack in particular. He hissed, "This is preposterous! A bunch of dullards beating us....beating ME. Even a bunch of backwater bums like you Rigellians recognize a true star. And it sure isn't a grizzled old toad like Jack of Diamonds. I don't care who his old man...."
-- Even though Jack seemed actually amused by Idol's rants, the mere mention of Exo-King prompted Excalibur to cold-cock the aspiring actor! Brainstorm moved to defend his partner, but the look of smoldering anger in Excalibur's eyes perhaps was the reason he instead pulled Idol out of the ring and led him away.


Saboteur -vs- Absalom
-- A clip was shown of Saboteur attacking Shylock at "The Warrior's Way", followed by Absalom getting in the middle of it.
-- Saboteur clearly has MMA talent since his return....and he dazzled in the wrestling ring too. The masked conspirator absolutely squashed Absalom in this one.
Saboteur PINs Absalom following EYE FOR AN EYE

-- Saboteur kicked Absalom out of the ring, pointed to a camera, and stated calmly, " Now that that's over....Shylock, make whatever final preparations you need to. Give POW all of your next of kin information. Update your will. You're finished."
-- Commissioner Jack Hood strolled out halfway down the ring ramp and responded, " Yer a good talker, Saboteur. And yer doing well in the ring. The fans want'ta see it, and so does Jack Hood. Ye and Shylock. We got our first pay-per-view comin' up in a couple weeks. What say ye find yerself a partner. Absalom and Shylock against ye and whoever can tolerate ye for a match."

[aquinas]

POW News Report

-- POW is reportedly in negotiations with former GWF Women's Champion Nightmare Nikki.

-- Killer Queen has officially returned to POW after his brief stint as a manager/wrestling in the GWF's developmental federation. He will resume his managing of Zed Marlowe.

-- POW is proud to announce that GWF and CPC legend and wrestler widely considered the greatest of all-time, Janus the Overman, has been signed as head color commentator, alongside announcers Qualitar and Dynamo.

[aquinas]

(POW MMA)

POW Violence
from the Menkent Mecca

Morgana -vs- Serpentine
-- This one was quite even. Serpentine had Morgana shaken at a key point, but the Titan rebounded and locked on an oma plata for a tap out.
Morgana makes Serpentine SUBMIT via oma plata


T.K. -vs- Quetzal
-- The masked one makes his MMA debut, and despite it obviously not being a strength for him, he held his own against T.K., who has looked nothing but impressive thus far. Even so, reality set in and T.K. locked in for an abrupt submission!
T.K. makes Quetzal SUBMIT via keylock


Indigo -vs- Mad Jester
-- The Jester entertained the crowd with a mock "martial arts" display, doing exaggerated Taekwon-Do moves before the bout started.
-- When the bell rang, Indigo went right at the mad one and began pounding him with strikes. He got Jester down to the mat, and systematically drained his vitality with submissions.
Indigo makes Mad Jester SUBMIT via keylock


Super Heavyweight Contention #1
Gunnar -vs- Hanuman
-- Gunnar came in the favorite based on past MMA prowess, but he had his hands full here. This was a long, seesaw battle. Hanuman kept managing to recover when seemingly KOed, and out of nowhere, slammed Gunnar down powerfully, knocking the wind out of him and putting the troubled man out.
Hanuman KOs Gunnar via drop shoulder throw

Super Heavyweight Contention #2
Rubicon -vs- Gordo
-- Rubicon is as vicious in MMA action as he is in wrestling. Gordo tried to stay on his feet, but kept getting pounded down with Rubicon's strikes, to say nothing of the genetic one's superior clinching. Simply put, Gordo had no answers here and succumbed to Rubicon in short order.
Rubicon KOs Gordo via leg kick

-- Rubicon and Hanuman will face next time, the winner getting a title shot against Puma!

[aquinas]

(POW MMA)

POW Way of the Fist
from the Luna Base Arena

-- Commissioner Jack Hood was standing in the back area with Qualitar. He said that he was going to be in action tonight. He said that Euritar was a worthy wrestling champion, but he needed to "see for himself" if Euritar was cut out for MMA action. " Euritar can talk a mean game, but methinks 'is bark is worse than 'is bite."


Excalibur -vs- Matinee Idol
-- A brief vignette showed the growing hostilities between Jack of Diamonds/Excalibur and Matinee Idol/Brainstorm, capped off by Excalibur flying off the handle when Idol called Jack a has-been at POW Underground.
-- Idol postured for the crowd before the bell, while Excalibur stalked back and forth, awaiting the start of the match.
-- The bell rang and Excalibur charged, LEVELING Polter with a looping left hand that ended this one in ONE move!! The crowd went absolutely crazy.
Excalibur KOs Matinee Idol in one strike (looping left hand)

Jack Hood -vs- Euritar
-- Hood came out to more boos than cheers, obviously away from "home" on Earth's moon. Wrestling heavyweight champ Euritar, on the other hand, was showered with positive reaction. The normally cocky one looked all business.
-- This one was lopsided in Euritar's favor. He managed to keep getting Hood to the mat and wearing him down, putting this one away with a choke.
Euritar makes Hood SUBMIT to a rear choke hold

-- Afterward, the commissioner, though obviously irritated by losing, also seemed pleased with his "crown jewel" wrestler, giving him a nod. If this match was Hood's way of measuring Euritar's skills outside of just wrestling, the test was passed.


Winner Becomes Cruiserweight #1 Contender
T.K. -vs- Stigma
-- T.K. has been impressive in MMA action, and it was no surprise that he was selected as one of the two to participate in this match, with a shot at Thayne on the line.
-- This one went back and forth, with both men feeling each other out. But Stigma got his adversary to the mat and began peppering him with elbows....the last one of them literally knocking T.K. out! Medical staff had to carry him off. Stigma celebrated a decisive win, and gets a title shot!
Stigma TKOs T.K. via mounted elbows


Winner Becomes Super Heavyweight #1 Contender
Rubicon -vs- Hanuman
-- There have been some great MMA matches in POW's short history, but this one immediately goes to the head of the list of "MMA Matches of the Year". What a war. Hanuman was decidedly the underdog here, and was forced to avoid his own strength -- clinching -- since Rubicon was better at it.
-- Hanuman kept trying to get this one to the mat, where he seemed slightly more comfortable. Whenever it got back to clinching situations, Rubicon systematically wore down Hanuman.
-- This one went on for a long time, back and forth, but with Hanuman obviously fatiguing faster. In the end, Rubicon downed his opponent and put him away with thunderous knees.
Rubicon KOs Hanuman via knees to head


Winner Becomes Heavyweight #1 Contender
Raze -vs- Mike Fortune
-- Fortune was a surprise selection for this match, especially since he's been largely ambivalent about MMA. Perhaps his victory over the commissioner at The Warrior's Way compelled Hood to give Fortune the shot.
-- In any case, Raze managed to send the Hitman to the mat early with a nasty kick, then pounced on him and put this one away with an inescapable choke. Raze rounds out the MMA #1 contenders in impressive fashion
Raze makes Fortune SUBMIT via rear naked choke


-- And so, the contenders are set.....and the first POW pay-per-view will take place on Christmas, at the newly-reopened Planet POW in the Pleiades system!