Welcome to the special edition of In The Zone. This month’s PPV is SCARE TACTICS. We Are coming to you LIVE from The Cathedral of the Swirling Mists on the Ring Nebula of Orion. This uber-dramatic setting is perfectly appropriate for the GWF’s Halloween themed show: the name of the arena comes from the fact that this ancient structure was formerly a place of worship for a long extinct civilization and the ceilings are elevated and designed in such a way that it actually has its own atmospheric system contained within these walls. So look for the Fed’s regular pyrotechnics to be augmented by multicolored cloud layers, strange lights similar to Earth’s Aurora Borealis effect, and even brief thunder showers.
Besides the ambience, the show itself is jam-packed with gimmick matches and feuds, so look for the in-ring action to be just as spectacular.
As usual, DragonMaster and Vanity are there with the call:
THE
AND
HEY, IT’S 2119!!! WE SHOULD HAVE ALL THE BUGS WORKED OUT ANY DAY NOW!
PRESENTS…
DragonMaster: Welcome, GWF fans, to SCARE TACTICS!!! As is our tradition for this time of year, this show will have some special Halloween elements and it looks like Vanity has really got the Halloween spirit. I must say, that is the best …um…leather bondage slash drag queen costume I’ve ever seen.
Vanity: Huh? I’m not wearing a costume.
DM: ….
Vanity: I’ve got a hot date after the show!
DM: ….
Vanity: Say, do you have some hand lotion I could borrow later?
DM: LET’S GET TO THE RING!
OPENING MATCHEncubus vs. CycloneThe opener was surprisingly entertaining and competitive. A few weeks back, Cyclone upset Encubus when Amazing Mann interfered, but the match was mostly dominated by Lil’ Thantos. This time, Cyclone hit a few of his high spots and scored a two count with a Whirlwind Dive but could never quite finish the match off and Encubus fought back and scored the win a GAMEMASTER DDT and SECOND COMING combo.
Encubus by pin-fall **1/2--Backstage, Mona Mammaries saunters down the hallway, dressed as Elvira much to the delight of red-blooded males everywhere (probably to the delight of males with any other color blood as well!). She approaches the office of GWF Owner Tom Filsinger but before she can knock, Tom comes rushing out of his office:
Mona: “Tommy, sweetie bear, I need to talk to you..”
Tom: “Not now, Mona. I just got word that Aethran star cruisers have just popped up on radar and are approaching the arena. (this draws a loud gasp from the crowd!) I have to figure out what to do…”
Tom storms off and Mona pouts as we go back to the ring.
The Troubleshooters (w/Phantasy) (c) vs. The Gladiators (Rush & Havoc) – GWF Universal Tag TitlesThis begs the question: if an Aethran goes trick or treating, what do they wear? A suit and tie?
I almost want to give this match an INC. We got a hot start and tons of fast paced action, but they gave them nowhere near enough time and the finish came out of nowhere.
Both teams broke out the double team moves early: The Shooters hit a Double Phantasy for a two-count and only minutes later The Glads hit Sick & Twisted. The team exchanged some high flying moves and Havoc was able to get the upperhand with Gothic Tomb. Rush tagged in and went for WHAT A RUSH, but Muss moved out of the way!!! Muss followed with MUSS EM UP…1….2…Nooooo!!! Havoc with the save! Rush goes on the offensive, but this time Phantasy is able to distract the referee while The Bomb hands Muss some kind of illegal object and Muss
absolutely levels Rush!!! Muss follows up with another MUSS EM UP for the pin. Again, the match was good while it lasted but it needed another 3-4 minutes to really develop a rhythm.
The Troubleshooters by dastardly pin.***--Backstage, Anivar cuts a promo on Tauran. I must say, he gets more and more impressive with every mic opportunity he gets. He explains that he prepared for this Hardcore Match by getting a shopping cart full of “very special” weapons together. He pushed this “special” cart to the ring.
Anivar vs. Tauran – Hardcore Titan Death Match Up to this point, Tauran has looked like a complete joke in his older form. But he was competitive early with help from Epoch and Slave Beast before the match became comical.
Tauran had control early but Anivar fought back until he was ambushed by Epoch. Minotaur made the save, but the distraction gave Tauran the chance to send Anivar spilling out into the audience. Anivar fought back again, but was attacked by Slave Beast. American Guy got a huge pop as he made the save, but again this gave Tauran the upper-hand and he blasted Anivar with a chair! Anivar was busted open and Tauran was able to get a near-fall with a LEG HOOK PILEDRIVER.
But again Anivar fought back and this time he used his cart full of “special items” to embarrass Tauran: he blinded Tauran by blasting him in the face with a box of bran flakes!!! He smashed Tauran across the back with a walker!! And ROFL when Tauran sold
like a champ when Anivar blasted him repeatedly in the head with a package of adult diapers!!!! The crowd was doubled over at this point and it popped huge when Anivar wrapped things up with a FULL NELSON DROP for the win. The match was overbooked as hell, but it made sense and the pay off was incredibly entertaining.
Anivar by pin-fall ***1/2--Backstage, we get another glimpse of Tom Filsinger arguing in the production office. He’s looking at a view screen. The camera pans in and we see that Aethran cruisers are stationed outside the arena!!!
Shann-Ra (c) vs. Amazonia – GWF Women’s Title – Loser Leaves Town This was an especially physical match, which completely make sense considering the stipulation. Amazonia controlled the match early, but was never able to put Shann-Ra away. The champ, for her part, kept avoiding Amazonia’s high impact moves and was eventually able to hit a spinning DDT to take control of things. Shann-Ra scored a dramatic near-fall with MACHETE, but Amazonia fought her way out of it. Shann-Ra followed up with a spectacular Swinging Huracanrana for another two-count. And then, with the crowd standing and Amazonia staggering to her feet, refusing to surrender, Shann-Ra finished the match with one last MACHETE!
Shann-Ra by pin-fall *** After the match, Mona came out and gloated as she ordered GWF security to escort Amazonia out of the arena. The crowd gave the Amazon warrior a standing ovation.
--A hype video played to show the shocking debut of Overtime when, disguised as GWF security, he ambushed Swarm and speared him through a table before removing his own helmet to reveal his true identity.
Swarm vs. Overtime With the push he’s been getting lately, I think many fans thought this might be a walk over. But OT was able to physically impose his will on Swarm early on. Swarm never got into any kind of offensive flow. Every time he made move, Overtime countered. Every time he seemed to get any momentum, Overtime grounded him with one of his high impact moves like the Master Blaster or Rocker Spear. Swarm eventually delivered an Andromeda Drop and took the fight outside before connecting with a flying body press for a two-count. But OT just seemed to shrug that off as well and hit THE CLINCHER twice in a row to score the win. Overtime was very impressive and the match looked more like a mid-card squash than anything.
Overtime by pin-fall **1/2--A hype video was played to recap the rivalry between Sonny Owens, Kill Prey, and Payback and help explain the rules of the Ultimate X Match.
‘Sensational’ Sonny Owens (c) vs. Payback vs. Kill Prey – Interplanetary Title – Ultimate X Match It’s hard to really explain all the action in this match. We got tons of high spots, and a truly phenomenal display of the raw athleticism of all three competitors.
The match started with a series of three-way brawls. Kill Prey was eventually able to take control with Ruptured Ear Strikes on both his opponents. But Payback fought back and took KP out of commission by tossing him into the guardrail, when Sonny Owens came flying over the top rope with a suicide dive that took both wiped both men out. Owens and payback would fight their way into the ring. Payback hit the EXCVENGE running off the support post in the corner and climbed onto the wires. Owens followed. With both men hanging dramatically from the wires, Owens swung over and delivered an insane Titan Cutter 14 feet to the floor!!!
Kill Prey rolled in holding a chair, but Owens blasted KP in the face by dropkicking the chair!!! Owens goes back up to the wires and attempts to hit a Huracanrana on Kill Prey, but he catches him and hits a giant lay-out powerbomb! Kill Prey head up to the wires but Payback recovers, climbs the support pole, and slingshots himself off and delivers a Wildman spear to Kill Prey as he’s hanging off the wires!!! With both KP and Owens on the ground, Payback goes outside to set up a table and then drags another table into the ring.
Payback sets the table up, and lays Kill Prey across the top. Sonny Owens climbs to the top of the support pole, leaps off with a frog splash…
but Kill Prey rolls out of the way and Owens goes crashing through the table!!! Payback and Kill Prey brawl, and Payback clotheslines KP out of the ring. Kill Prey is staggering on the outside when Payback flies through the middle ropes and drives Kill Prey through the table set up on the outside!!!
Payback again climbs to the top of the support pole and begins to cross on the wires. The crowd stands and applauds. Sonny Owens slowly follows. Payback is nearly to the center of the wires and the IP title. Owens gets to the top of the support pole, but it looks like he’s too far away.
Payback is almost there! Owens climbs to the top of the pole. Payback is too far to reach. In an amazing feat, Sonny Owens runs across the cables, dives down, and hits a swinging Huracanrana that sends Payback sailing out to the ring floor!!1! The crowd loses it.
“HO-LY SH*T! HO-LY SH*T!”
Owens climbs to the cables. He inches his way across. Kill Prey rolls into the ring. Owens reaches the IP Title, but KP reaches up and grabs Owens by the legs. Kill Prey pulls down. Owens struggles with the belt. Kill Prey fights harder. Owens can barely hang on, but with one final pull the belt comes free. Owens comes crashing to the mat holding the IP Title!!!
Sonny Owens retains ****Phenomenal match.
--While the ring is cleared, we get a shot backstage of the loading dock area. Two star cruisers have recently arrived. The bay doors open. A phalanx of Aethran troopers hit the ground. AND THEY’RE LED BY SPIKE!!!
-- Commissioner Massif in his office, dressed ridiculously as Superman. He faces a group of mostly villains, telling them they have to face off against Paralyze in the next match. Rising Sun starts to dissent, but Massif explains that Sun had better wrestle if he wants to keep his job.
Paralyze vs. Owner’s Choice – Gauntlet Match -Paralyze starts off against The Betrayer. The match is your basic squash and Paralyze finishes things off with High Tension.
-Next is Sly Drury. Paralyze dominates for the most part, but Drury does catch him with his Knife Edge Attack and even hits the LAST CALL for a two-count. Paralyze regains control and scores the pin.
-Steel freak is next and this fight is brutal affair. Freak keeps Paralyze brawling outside the ring and is able to bust open the bigger man with a chair shot. Paralyze has to kick out of several pin attempts and it looks for a minute like Freak is going to get the upset, ut Paralyze catches Freak outside the ring and sends him headfirst into the ring pole. Paralyze follows up with a Brutal Infliction for the win.
-The reluctant Rising Sun is next. Paralyze is still bleeding from the previous match. Sun nearly gets the early win with a Sunset Spectacular. And then again with DEADLY KICK EXHIBIT. Sun goes up top and misses a diving elbow. Paralyze delivers THE PARALYZER out of nowhere for the win!!
-With Paralyze basically out on his feet, Tanck swaggers to the ring. Showing a ton of arrogance, Tanck slaps Paralyze around before delivering an underhook power bomb. Tanck locks in IRON MAN VISE …
but Paralyze fights back! Tanck locks it in again…and Paralyze fights out again!!! Tanck looks stunned as Paralyze gets to his feet and charges!! But Tanck scoots out of the way and delivers a hammerlock suplec. Paralyze is exhausted. Tanck goes for the cove..1…2..3!
Tanck gets the final pin over Paralyze **1/2--After the match, it looks like GWF Security are headed to the ring to attack (or capture) Paralyze, when they are headed off at the pass by Aethran Troopers led by Spike. It looks like we are going to get a massive skirmish when Tom Filsinger appears on screen:
Tom Filsinger: “Whoah, whoah, whoah…fellas…let’s calm down here.
Spike grabs a mic.
Spike: “Filsinger….where are you? Where’s Disaster?”
Tom: “Oh well….you know the life of a quintillionaire playboy…I had a meeting to attend, a party to get to…I couldn’t wait around for you to show up.…(the crowd boos Tom’s apparent cowardice)..but I have news for you. In two weeks, War Zone will be BACK IN AETHRA!!! And I will gladly return Disaster then. But please, we have a show to finish, have your men leave the ring.
Spike: “Fine…I’m not a fan of negotiating…but the GWF is still sacrosanct to Aethrans. In two weeks, in Aethra, you had better deliver Disaster. Or else the next time you see an Aethran starcruiser we will leave you and the GWF as nothing more than a smoking crater in the ground.”
Spike grudgingly leads his men back up the ramp.
--A video is played to hype up the Tower of Tables Match
Endgame & Bloodline vs. Anarchy & Switchblade – Tag Team Tower of Tables Match This match probably suffered a little from the crowd being burned out by Ultimate X. But the ending was fun and wisely waited a few minutes before turning it into a spot fest.
The first 10 minutes or so the match plays out like your standard brawl. But eventually Endgame and Anarchy brawl into the stands. This allows Switchblade to take advantage and send Bloodline spilling into a table set up in the corner. Blade follows up by raking Bloodline across the head. With Bloodline staggered, Switchblade tosses him over the top ropes and through another table!! Switchblade goes out and looks to deliver FAITH through the announce table, but Bloodline fights back and both men end up going through a table set up near the ring.
Endgame and Anarchy fight their way back to the ring. Anarchy tries to whip Endgame into another table in the corner, but Endgame reverses it! With Anarchy staggered, Endgame delivers the ULTIMA LEAP. He goes up top again, but this time Anarchy catches Endgame and sends him slamming through a table by choke-slamming outside the ring! The table count at this point is 4-2 in favor of the villains. Switchblade rolls Endgame in and now the Bad Guys set up two table outside the ring and go for a powerbomb. Switchblade and Anarchy hoist Endgame up…
but Endgame flips out of the hold and lifts both his opponents over the top ropes and through the tables!!! It’s 4-4.
Endgame goes outside after Anarchy. Bloodline is back onto his feet and begins chasing Switchblade down, steel chair in hand. Anarchy and Endgame are slugging it out with just minutes remaining. Bloodline stalks Switchblade up the ramp, near the spot whee crews have stacked six tables. Switchblade goes to his knees, groveling. Bloodline lifts the steel chair above his head, ready to bring it crashing down. LOW-BLOW BY SWITCHBLADE!!! He tosses Bloodline over the edge, but the tower doesn’t break. Switchblade looks momentarily befuddled, but does the professional thing: he backs up, runs forward, and delivers an ‘old school’ Blade of Retribution which shatters all six tables!!! HO-LY SH*T chants o’ plenty.
The match ends with the bad guys having a 10-4 advantage. ***1/2Endgame runs up the ramp to check on Bloodline, but Anarchy comes form behind and crushes him with a vicious chair-shot. Then Anarchy drags him over to the other side of the table where six other tables have been stacked. ~CHOKE SLAM THROUGH THE TABLE!~
Tables are shattered everywhere and Anarchy and a bent over Switchblade celebrate at the top of the ramp as we…
FADE TO BLACK Over-all: 8/10 I hated the fact that Spike wussed out and the Disaster storyline was pushed back some more, but the matches themselves were excellent, and we seemed to move forward with several interesting feuds. No big surprises, or titles changing hands, but top to bottom the action was incredible and well worth the PPV cost.