What a week, what a week.

As you may or may not know, this week was a week of departures from both the NPWA, and the EWA. Erik Draven has reportedly left the NPWA on not-so-good terms with President and Vice President Angela Chang and Michael Simurda, respectively. I tried to reach President Chang this evening, and the only comment I could get from her so far was this:

"Erik Draven was, and always will be a honored member of the NPWA. I wish him nothing but the best in his future."

More on this story as we get information, and trust me... we will get information, if I have to squeeze it out of the parties involved... well, except Erik, he's bigger than me.

I'll discuss the EWA departures when the EWA Backstage Pass goes up tomorrow. What a week.

Anyway, onto the real stuff: the NPWA weekend. Even considering Draven's departure, this weekend's programming was nothing to laugh at. This kind of quality should be praised, even if someone gets ousted as a result. No offense to Erik. Before I dig myself deeper, let's just get right to the results of Sabotage.

I don't think I need to tell anyone how well the NPWA's Sabotage has done, nor do I really need to tell anyone that it was an amazing show, it's almost assumed.

~ Right from the start, Azmyth appeared with a pre-recorded vignette, basically challenging anyone who wanted to step to the task. Anyone who does is in serious trouble, though, that much I can tell you.

~ Stone Cold, HHH, and RVD babble about Stephanie being missing. Huh? Sorry, I was confused by this whole thing.

~ Sean Sanders comes out, and calls out Dave Kramer... well, he got someone who's name started with D, but not Kramer... Dredd exited the curtains and told Sean to give him back the DE-D Title. Sanders refuses, not knowing where he got it, and Dredd refreshes his memory. Seems Sanders got the belt by beating Vendetta, with a little help from Ben Fuller. Dredd again asks for the belt, Sanders pisses him off, so Dredd beats him down, hitting a Concrete Piledriver. But... he left the title with Sanders? WHY?! Isn't that the whole reason you showed up in the first place?

~ Jakk Frost and Phoenix Dark don't show up. Dammit, that's annoying.

~ Venom has Kanyon on the Poison Pit! Seems Angela Chang decided that neither Kanyon nor Venom could touch each other, or they'd be fined or suspended. Kanyon and Venom exchange barbs, and personally, I think Kanyon got the better of that argument, even challenging Venom to the match at DEVine Intervention. In the end, whether Kanyon talked better or not, Venom ended up making sure Kanyon got his, as DFR came out and beat the ever-loving shit out of him. Now, no matter what I said about the Venom/Kanyon feud in the beginning, I take it back. This could be the most vicious match we've seen out of either of these two in the NPWA.

~ Two Man Power Trip d. BioHazard Area. Decent match, not bad... not the best ringwork I've ever seen, but I didn't expect that from this match. A good showing for the Trip, but I've seen better from BHA.

~ Dave Kramer comes out, and demands a TV Title shot, claiming that he never lost it. Chang comes out, and tells him differently... and that he will NOT be getting a TV Title shot until she's damn good and ready to give him one. Wow. Talk about "denied."

~ Kade Mikado d. Raven. I like Mikado. I think he could definitely make it. He's got the talent, and he's got the will... but he doesn't really have the size. Still, if anyone can overcome that, it's Mikado. A good showing against Raven here.

~ The Trip and RVD beat the crap out of DJ Deadly. I'm still not really sure why.

~ Grady Smith comes out, does some redecorating, and verbally pisses on Evan Douglas. Fun times, fun times.

~ Ray Willmott d. Bazooka Joe in the cage. WOOOOOOOOOOOOW. This was one hell of a match, and I will personally send a tape to anyone who missed it. Just send me a stamped, self-adressed tape cover, you can get them at the post office, and send it to the Dirtsheet, our address is on the masthead. This is one that I can't even put into words. It definitely had to be seen to be believed.

~ After the match, a beaten and bloody Willmott (watch the tape) storms into Chang's office. Willmott must've REALLY been injured in that match, cuz he was talking about going into a handicap match with both Bazooka Joe and Jack Daniels... and that's just crazy talk. Angie refused, of course, but she did offer a different suggestion that he seemed to like... but I couldn't really tell what it was. Hell, I was backstage and I don't know what happened. Anyway, Raymott leaves, and another knock at the door turns out to be a kidnapper! Angela Chang has been kidnapped!

~ SmirtDogg d. Haywood Jublome in an Explosives match. Daaaaaaaaamn. One of the most vicious matches I've ever seen, and if it weren't for Draven, we would more than likely have two corpses in the ring. Draven scooped Smirt out just before the ring exploded, but somehow, Haywood escaped the explosions! He came very close to re-breaking Smirt's back after the match, but Draven made it clear that he wouldn't let that happen. I'll make sure that's on the tape, too.

~ Ray Willmott and Michael Simurda are both very confused as to where Angela happened to disappear to. Willmott's pissed, but Simurda's just as pissed. Willmott suspects Simurda, Simurda thinks Willmott's nuts, and Willmott storms out. Where Chang is is anybody's guess at this point.

~ Grady Smith d. Evan Douglas. Another ***** match. Douglas finally gets his title shot, and nobody deserves it more than anyone... but of course, it ends in Smith keeping the title. Ah, well... at least the match kicked ass. Afterwards, Grady makes sure everyone knows that Dark Force Rising is the most powerful force in the NPWA. Like they needed any more reminding.

~ The show's about to fade out... but wait! That's Angela Chang! Someone's got her hostage, and that someone is... Dave Kramer! He's pissed that he got supposedly screwed by younger Draven, and he wants his shot! There are better ways to go about it, Dave... kidnapping? What the hell are you thinking?

All in all... Sabotage was killer. Groovy. Excellent. If you can find any other adjectives like these that you can use, go for it. I, personally, am trying to get the word "bodacious" back in regular conversation.

If Malice lived up to Sabotage... actually, if it DIDN'T, I'd be pissed. Oh, it did... and so much more.

~ Jon Storm and Sean Sanders have a little pre-match chat... good to see they're not holding any grudges. 'Course, Dredd showed up as Sanders left and beat the crap out of him, and Honey. Bastard... mess with the Colonel all ya want, but you touch Honey Barbie Q. Wing, you make me very angry... and I hurt people when I get angry. The only thing that can calm me down is a nice bucket of the Colonel's original recipe. Oh yeah, I'm a mark. And proud of it, baby.

~ WOW... a giant clusterfuck of people just started mauling each other... and boy, was I pleased! More of this! It's impossible to describe just how many people were involved in this, or who... it was one big brawl, that's for sure.

~ Sean Sanders d. Jon Storm. These two did not disappoint. A great match from the both of them, and even with the interruption of the giant brawl just barely being broken up backstage (now there's an alliteration for ya, Boden, stupid poet bastard), the match went seamlessly. These guys are textbook examples of professionalism and talent.

~ Haywood Jublome and Michael Draven trade some choice words, and some blows with a ladder, but Jublome gets the upper hand after Christina Knight tells Draven that she's pregnant! Now... whether this is true or not, I have no idea, but Jublome made sure Draven hurt after she said it. Wow.

~ Dave Kramer still has Angie hostage, and he cuts her gag... and then starts to cut her arm, until finally, a phone call. It's Simurda, trying to talk some sense into the man... and he does, eventually convincing Kramer that he can have his TV Title shot... if he beats Simurda's indentured servant, Kade Mikado! Kade may be getting screwed on this deal, but Kramer seems OK with it. Of course, should he lose... he NEVER recieves a TV Title shot again! This seems to be enough for him, as he says he'll be giving up Angela tonight.

~ Willmott is not happy with the situation, but he's willing to talk to Simurda and work something out. Apparently, Simurda's got a plan, and as long as sledgehammers are involved, I'm sure Willmott will be as well.

~ Latino Powers and LIHC fight again to a draw, thanks to interference from... Alexander Haven and Chris Kage?! Huh?! This one threw me for a loop, and I think it did the same for everyone else... although the Powers didn't seem like themselves that day... I'll be watching this weekend...

~ Azmyth d. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. An excellent hardcore matchup, as far as hardcore matchups go. Azmyth amazes me every time I see him, and Johnny... gotta love Johnny. In the end, the blue-faced one took it. Good for him.

~ Erik and Michael Draven beat on Marcus Hailey's legs like you wouldn't believe. Ouch. No other word can describe.

~ Willmott wants to know where Chang is. She's back in the building, and she's OK, for the most part. I'm sorry, but this Willmott/Chang romantic thing is kinda freakin' me out... it's Hotpants for crying out loud.

~ Kanyon and Jon Storm have a little catch-up session, and Kanyon ties Storm's shoes together. Way to go, Jon, you shoulda seen that coming, ya dork.

~ Kanyon d. Dave Kramer, who's lucky to still be in the NPWA after kidnapping the President. OK, so it's a work. Still, the match did rule several types of ass. After the match, Willmott chased Kramer all around Ennis Speedway, even into his car, punching out a window. Willmott pissed? Nah.

~ Michael Draven d. Sean Boden. I would be disappointed about the ending to this match, but GOD DAMN, with the kind of performance out there, I can't help feeling good about the whole thing. A textbook match, and it stole the show, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Draven wins it in the end, and he will defend the TV Title against Haywood at DEVine Intervention. After the match, we were treated to the inside of Smirt's hospital room, where Smirt assured Draven that he would definitely be in his corner next week, no matter what kind of physical state he was in. That is class, amigos.

~ Venom and Jack Daniels fight to a draw. Before the match started, Mortis made an appearance, nailing Venom with the Flatliner! Simurda told Mortis that since he'd attacked Venom, then he wouldn't be getting his shot at the US Title at the PPV! Of course, as he said that, Kanyon came out from the back! And you thought Mortis and Kanyon were the same guy... ha! Those masked ones are just proving EVERYBODY wrong tonight, huh? Anyway, a well fought match, as should be expected from these two. Afterwards, Venom sicced his rabid pitbulls on Jack Daniels... I hope those 5 shots in your stomach aren't too painful, Jack... then the rest of DFR came out and reminded us once again that they were the dominant force. Thank you, we weren't sure the last 600 times you told us. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think that DFR is possibly the biggest collection of talent the wrestling world has ever seen... but we get the point already. There's only so many times one can listen to the same speech.

~ Marcus Hailey d. Erik Draven. There's way too much controversy surrounding this match... I will say it was a great match, but what was the deal with the alarm clock? C'mon, that's just stupid, man. Hailey's been doing a lot of things that haven't made a whole lot of sense to me lately... Erik Deadline? What the hell does that mean? And the alarm clock two weeks ago? It's fuckin' weird. Hailey may be getting the number one contender's spot, but man... he's going out of his mind. Anyway, DFR again begins to attack Erik Draven, but his brother finally comes in and saves the day, as we fade out of the show.

The NPWA Weekend: not to be missed, and they proved it again this week. And now... the time you've all been waiting for... the NPWA PPV extravaganza, DEVine Intervention, straight from Arlington, TX. Looks to be a great show, if you ask me (and if you're reading this, you ask me).

~ To start off the card, Jon Storm goes up against "Suicidal" Mark Matthews. I could see Storm facing off with a lot bigger guys than this in his second match back, especially after his show with Sanders, but I'll wait, and hope that once an angle clears up, Storm picks right up on it.

~ Kade Mikado squares off with Dave Kramer... and you all know the stips on this one. Mikado wants to stay in the NPWA, and especially wants to keep Simurda happy, since the man basically controls his career at this point... but Kramer has shown just how far he'll go for the TV Title shot. I'm torn on this one.

~ Dredd and Sean Sanders do battle for the DE-D Heavyweight Title in a first blood match. Personally, I've always seen Dredd as the second half of Violent Tendencies, with Vendetta being his superior, but even still, this could be a hell of a match. Question is, will Dredd's knees hold out long enough to make it through?

~ An elmination hardcore battle royal for the Hardcore Title. The participants are: Jakk Frost, Raven, Azmyth, Paladin, Johnny THM, and Sean Boden. I'm a little biased here, but since Boden's been on one hell of a winning streak recently (he more than made up for his loss against Draven at EWA's War on Wednesday), I'd have to give it to him in the end. And that would make three Hardcore Titles for the man in black... just something to think about.

~ Latino Powers and Long Island Hardcore do battle over the NPWA Tag Team titles. If LIHC does not win this match, I will personally pay the Latino Powers $500 out of CJ and Jared's pockets. If, after all this time, they can't get the job done... then they don't deserve the money.

~ Ray Willmott, Jack Daniels, Evan Douglas, and Bazooka Joe fight it out for number one contendership for the US Title. Should be an all-out war... let's see whether Willmott can show us what he wants to in this match.

~ Michael Draven and Haywood Jublome take to the skies in a ladder match for the TV Title. Too close to call, but either way, it'll be a nutty match to say the least. Look for some really big bumps and high spots in this one.

~ Kanyon and Venom go at each other's throats in a steel cage death match. Another one that should be not only brutal, but excellently wrestled. I expect nothing less than ***** from these two.

~ Marcus Hailey and Grady Smith go one on one for the NPWA Heavyweight Title in a lumberjack match for the Main Event. The remaining members of DFR will be on the outside to injure anyone who might happen to fall out of the ring. These two men are the best the NPWA has to offer right now, and to expect anything less than the best from them would be stupid and foolish.

I think that if you're only paying $30 bucks for this PPV, you're not paying enough, but don't try to give your cable company more money... they don't deserve it that much. Just order the PPV, and trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Tomorrow: EWA results, more information on the Erik Draven situation, and a full list of releases from the NPWA, EWA, and NYSWF. Until next time...

Camel out.