[EWC] LORDS OF THE RING - WEEK #8
TV report - Shawn Pearce writing.

They do the normal pyro, coming at you this week from New Orleans, LA.  Isaac 
Cross, Vanessa Stone reporting, Dr. Strange still out due to illness.

They do the normal cut to the crowd..and then the opening strains of "Born on the 
Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival come on and you would think Fuego or someone 
from Cut 'n Shoot walked into the building...but then again, they were in the 
hometown of none other than the Owner of the EWC, Armand LeBeaux..and LeBeaux was 
coming out to a HUGE ovation.  He was wearing a suit, but he stopped right under 
the Solotron, took off the suit jacket, and put on his customary black trench 
before walking down to the ring, slapping hands with a lot of the fans before 
entering the ring.  He rolls in and motions to the box to cut the music....

[LeBeaux]
"Well, well, well...I guess since I've come home...*slips into
a cajun accent* I better learn ta talk like I'm home in de Bayou country, eh?"

*CROWD POP*

"I promise not ta take up too much of your time tonight, but I do have to make 
a few points.  I know that's why I hired Ms. Jansen as a commisioner...but I 
wanted to say hi to everybody here.....

*POP-A-ROONIE*

"..and she's a little too close to our leadoff situation...namely,
the brouhaha that's been buildin' between Mr. Chris Sim and our temp
from the USeW, one "Sweet" Jimmy Lowe.

*Lots of boos, more for sim than for Lowe*

"Now, I don't know about you, but I, for one, am gettin' tired of their 
snipin' at one another, at they're interferin' in each other's matches....
I've had it.  Unfortunately, I don't have a contract with Mr. Lowe's name 
on it for anything other than commentatin', since he's workin' for another 
company.  That means I can only sign Mr. Lowe at an ooooo--fficial, 
Summit-type interfed event.

"NOW, it just so happens that coming up later this summer, we're gonna be having the 
Francois-Dominic Laramee Invitational again...which *is* an official Interfed event. 
 Furthermore, it's gonna be held in Chicago.  So, I've taken the liberty of 
contacting Jason Rage, the commissioner in charge of the USeW, and we have 
signed Mr. Lowe and Mr. Sim to a match to be held at the FDL cup!  And it's 
going to be a CHICAGO STREET FIGHT!!!!"

*CROWD POP*  [NOTE:  Vanessa starts going off again on how the officials are 
biased against Sim, making him fight against Lowe in Lowe's specialty match 
in Lowe's hometowm.]

"Here's the thing, tho....they can't TOUCH each other between now and that PPV.  
Meaning Sim cannot lay *one* finger on Jimmy, and Jimmy cannot touch Sim, until 
the match happens.  If either man lays a finger on the other, BOTH will be banned 
collectively from BOTH the EWC and the USeW!  So boys, hold onto that pent-up anger, 
and we'll see you all in about six weeks or so.

"OK, we move on to some problems that we are having in-house.  First, let's 
start with the neverending soap opera between Roker Showtime and Jon Owens.

*Some cheers, some boos for Roker, but a LOT of boos for Owens*

"Now these two keep pussyfooting around each other, calling each other names, 
but not really bothering to fight in the ring.  Then Owens challenges Roker to 
a match last week.  Roker sends in a clip challenging Owens to a match *this* 
week...and lo and behold, NEITHER OF THEM ARE HERE TONIGHT!!  I even had Owens 
in a backup TV TITLE match that he didn't show up for...so some poor guy in 
the back is getting his dream shot..a shot at the TV title against the 
living nightmare, Sebastian Sloan.

Roker, Owens, I respect the both of you, but enough is enough.  In 3 weeks, on 
Hot Summer Night, the two of you are going to be in a match.  Both of you will 
be here.  IF either of you doesn't show up, you're fired.  This company has 
been doing extrememly well. WE've regained a lot of fans, we've brought this 
company back from the dead.  It was poor management and lots of no-shows that 
killed this company the first time, and I will be DAMNED if it happens again.

And speaking of no-shows, has anyone seen our World Tag Team champions lately?  
If so, can you tell me?  Last I saw them was at Slamrock.  Weapons of Last 
Resort, if you don't get this show wherever you are in Japan right now, I'm 
mailing you a tape, but here's the bottom line.  I like you guys, so do the 
fans.  You're incredibly talented, or you wouldn't be the World tag champs.  
BUT I'M NOT PAYING YOU TWO TO WRESTLE IN JAPAN!  You need to start making 
appearances stateside.  I know you've signed a contract to wrestle at Hot 
Summer Night against Frozen Hell for the tag belts..but that's not soon 
enough.  You will be scheduled to defend on this program next week in 
fulfillment of your 30 day championship defense clause. You can even 
name the opponents. But if you do not defend on this program next week, 
I will have no choice but to strip you of the tag belts and put them up 
in a tournament.  You're backing me into a corner, Glenn and Toshiro, 
please don't force me to do this.

And finally, everyone's been asking me..."Why is Fuego defending at 
Hot Summer Nights against Ernie Grendel?  Aren't they friends?"  Where 
I'm coming from is this:  the best of friends make the fiercest of 
competitors.  Fuego is the heavyweight champion of the world.  Ernie 
Grendel is one of the ten hottest talents out there today.  He deserves 
a title shot, and he's going to get it, regardless of who's holding the 
belt.  It's going to be a great match, and you guys are gonna love it.  
Trust me.

I'll be around tonight.  All the EWC wrestlers better know that the Boss is 
in town...and if they don't toe the line....BANG!!! THEY DEAD!

("Born on the Bayou" starts up again as Armand leaves the ring, shaking 
hands with many of the fans)

POSTRANT:  Cross is basically falling over himself with the four news 
flashes that came out tonight.  Stone herself wondered why Jon Owens 
wasn't there, but figures there is a good reason for it.  Stone actually 
gave Armand credit for some ballsy decision making, especially in regards 
to the tag champs.  Cross counters that WoLR have been very busy overseas
finishing commitments that were 4-6 months in advance, and it's been playing 
havoc on their travel schedule..Cross wonders if it won't catch up with them 
eventually.

MY THOUGHTS:  OK, the hometown boy makes good comes out and works the crowd. 
But he did it a bit too long.  There was nothing he really added to the 
Fuego/Grendel title defense, and he went on a bit too long about Sim and 
Lowe.  But it does set up the crux of the next PPV rather well, as well 
as adding some suspense in the form of the WoLR "Will they show or not?" angle.

MATCH 1:  "The Revolutionary" MIKE POWERS vs. Bean Martinez

[The opening sirens of "Check" by Zebrahead fade into hard driven beats as 
flashpots explode up the runway triggering a strobe light.  The fans have 
no idea who's coming out so they are relatively quiet. That changes as EWC 
newcomer, "The Revolution" Mike Powers steps out from the curtains and onto 
the runway with an evil smirk on his face.

Wearing black full-length tights with a top (think X-pac), he's got anarchy 
symbols in dripping red letter on both sides of his outfit.  He pauses midway 
to the ring, look around, and flips everyone the bird--he then grabs a house
mic and, in one prolonged motion, leaps onto the top rope and then backflips 
into the ring.]

[Powers]
What a shock--I come out here last week, make myself known to the world, cause 
a few heart attacks in the back, and what do I get?  A title shot? Maybe a 
spot in the Heritage Tourney?  Not even close.  I get a freakin' squash 
match early on the card.  Give me a break--we all know the EWC has a ton 
of allegedly capable light heavyweights running around, you'd think I'd 
get to wrestle one of them.  But do I? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  

Pay close attention tonight and you'll notice something--I'm not facing 
Ernie Grendel, I'm not facing  Bill Curtis either--why, WHY!?! Because 
the EWC is dead set on protecting those two Cut N' Shoot pieces of crap 
and not letting me face them.  Hell, they're even making me leave the 
arena right after this match because everyone knows if I'm here later 
tonight I'll come down to ringside and pay them both a visit.  I'm being 
held back because the men upstairs know damn well that their golden 
children, who can't handle a laughing gas addict and two stiffs, 
aren't gonna be able to touch me.  

Well...since I'm already here, I might as well blow your minds.  
Brace yourself, you're about to witness greatness.

MIKE POWERS v. BEAN MARTINEZ

Martinez went for the pre-match hand slap but Powers refused, offering 
a big glob of spit in the face and a slap across the mouth instead.  
That drew a Martinez charge which Powers side-stepped, grabbing Martinez 
from behind and judo throwing him to the mat.  As Bean sprung to his 
feet he was nearly decapitated by a sick looking snap kick to the head 
that had the crowd groaning as Martinez flew into the corner.  Powers
was on top of him in a hurry repeatedly elbowing him in the head, 
grabbing it on the last shot and bulldogging him out to the center.  
Powers made a wild guesture as if to signal a big move but instead 
took Bean's head and raked it across his boot laces, laughing at the 
disappointed crowd.  Three successive powerdrive leg drops followed 
and then Powers backed up, took a running start, and just unleashed a 
60 yard field goal kick onto Martinez's head. It was ugly.

By this point the crowd's booing was fairly loud and Powers was laughing 
even harder.  Martinez was lifted off the mat so that Powers could grab 
his arm, twist it, and then hit a short-legged lariat that sent Bean 
slumping into the corner clutching his throat. Powers lifted Martinez 
to his feet and turned his chest bright red with a seemingly never-ending 
stream of hard knife edges which were followed by an airplane spin 
which was released mid-air into a stun gun.  Powers then looked down 
at Martinez, who was no longer moving, smiled and went up to the top 
rope.  He outstretched his arm in a "V" and then came flying off the 
top rope with a crisp skytwister moonsault, he calls the "Coup De'Tat."  
Three seconds later and it was over. 

	      ##########################################
	      # WINNER:  Mike Powers, via pinfall 3:02 # 
	      ##########################################

Powers then turned back towards Martinez's fallen body charged and used a 
baseball slide to knock him out of the ring and to the concrete.  Again, he 
called for the house mic.

[Powers]
Did you really think I was going to waste anything fancy on this piece of crap? 
I don't think so.  Boys from Cut N' Shoot, starting looking over your 
shoulders because I'm getting closer every second.

(he spikes the mic on the mat, flips over the top rope, kicks Martinez 
one final time and leaves to a fairly solid chours of jeers)

POSTMATCH:  Stone likes this new kid...she sees him as a possible title 
threat if Curtis is too focused on Monroe and company.  Cross agrees but 
*really* hates his "everyone's holding me down" attitude...Cross noted 
that the Raw Assasin felt the same way, and now he's no longer with the company.

THOUGHTS:  Too much too fast.  I can see giving him a strong LH push, 
maybe even get him a title shot soon.  However, for him to be calling 
out Grendel and Curtis is dumb, as CnS is centered around at least 2-3 
angles right now.  What EWC needs is new *name* face light heavyweight 
that can give this guy a match and give them both a solid push.


They go to a commercial..then they come back and:

("Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood comes on, and the crowd pops 
as "Crazy" Jay Gillette comes down the aisle carrying a microphone 
and a large paper sack.  He climbs through the ropes, walks to ring center,  
raises the mike and....)
 
[Jay]
HELLLLOOOOO NEW ORLEANS!
 
(Jay waits for the considerable crowd pop to die down and then continues...)
 
[Jay]
As one of our major competitors is so fond of reminding everybody, pro-wrestling 
is sports entertainment.....and I've never made any bones about the fact that 
I've always been firmly on the "entertainment" side of that equation.  
Through several years, and thousands of miles, and more feds than I think 
I care to recall sometimes, I've provided a lot of enjoyment to one 
helluva lot of you folks out there and loved every match. every bump, and
every minute of it.  No offense meant to another one of those competitors, 
but I was getting in the ring and doing it "doggy-style" when he was still 
doing it kindergarten style in his sandbox.
 
(Jay waits for laughter to die down before going on.....)
 
[Jay]
And I didn't really expect that to change when a couple of good buddys of 
mine asked me to come to the EWC with them and help watch their backs. But 
why don't we take a look at just how things turned out, hey folks?
 
(Jay points to the monitor which shows a sequence of videos as follows...)

Gillette trying to hold off both Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse on LoTR #7 

"Bad" Brad Watkins tackling Gillette on LoTR #3

Gillette getting pasted with a large bone by Chris Sims on LoTR #2

Bill Curtis and Gillette duking it out with Siouxnami on LoTR#5

Gillette getting leveled by "Bad" Brad Watkins on LoTR #6

Siouxnami pounding a prone Gillette with baseball bats at Slamrock '99
 
[Jay]
Wathcing those videos, no matter how you slice it folks, I think you can only 
come to one conclusion. I AIN'T GETTIN' THE JOB DONE!
 
(Gillette again waits for the crowd reaction to die down before saying....)
 
[Jay]
Later on tonight, I'm gonna be facing "Bad" Brad Watkins in part of the 
Cut'n'Shoot Heritage Title Tourney.  Well, Brad you may not be the only 
one, but you're a big part of the group of people here in the EWC who've 
cost me the respect of my peers, the trust of my friends and my own 
enjoyment of my profession, and Brad, I've got a little challenge 
for you tonight.  Instead of spinning that ole wagon wheel Brad how about 
you meet me in a DOG-COLLAR MATCH?
 
(Jay reaches into the paper back he brought along and pulls out two 
very large dog collars joined by a leash.)
 
[Jay]
Two dog-collars and two men connected by twelve feet of leash.  First 
man to tag all four turnbuckles in order walks out the winner.  Whadaya 
say Brad, you got the cajones, or are you gonna try and let sleeping dogs lie?

(Gillette spiked the microphone to a loud pop)

POSTRANT:  Stone admires Gillette's "grapefruits" but feels that he's a 
journeyman on the way down, while Watkins wrestling star is still rising 
to meet his level of fame at the movies.  Cross, in the meantime, sees 
this as a new Jay Gillette...and at a very opportune time, as Watkins 
is still groggy from that attack by Siouxnami on the last show.

MY THOUGHTS:  Huh...should be a cool match. =)

MATCH #2: SEBASTIAN SLOAN VS. ???????????????
	  TV Title Match

Sloan is out first, accompanied by the Children of Apocalypse.  
They cut to a pre-recorded promo:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(A tape opens up shots of Jeromy Byron giing Parker the "Equalizer" and 
keep repeating them selves until "The Unforgiven" by Metallica kicks 
in and a camera zooms in a door at the end of a dark hallway and the 
door opens to reveal the Children of Apocalypse sitting down on stools, 
surounded by white candles illuminating the room.  Their master, 
Sebastian Sloan, is standing with is back to the camera behind both 
of the Children)
 
<Zach>
Strutter, deception is the number one thing you must be aware of 
being evil.  The dark knights that surround your dark soul have fooled 
you.  Much like our master has fortold, evil never triumphs and you, 
my friend, experienced that last week when Dan rolled you up for the win.
 
<Dan>
Jeremy Byron, you have finally escaped the dark shadows that haunted 
you.  You've come forth into the light and have proven yourself to all 
that are good.  Consider yourself removed from our list of people to be 
saved, for you saved yourself.  Parker, you have already got business 
on your hands and apperently we do also. 
 
<Zach> 
I think we have pretty much established ourselves as title contenders 
in EWC.  Only problem is that the champions are cowards that do not like 
to make many appearances.  Weapons of Last Resort, you can run all that 
you want from defending your belts...your time will come. If you feel 
you are not the cowards we speak of, then answer the challenge and 
accept our match.  
 
<Dan> 
Also, it has come to my attention that our masters rival, Mark Davidson 
wants our attention.  Well now that you have it Slayer, we ask of you 
what you want.  If you can find yourself a partner we will gladly 
defend our masters honor and take you on.  Sloan has spoken of your 
soul not being able to be saved, and for this the evil you carry must 
be vanquished.  So after we have our belts, and taken care of those 
who are not rightly called champions.  We will take out the tragedy 
of justice you almost caused last week, if you are willing to accept.  
From the begining of our time in EWC, we've spoken of the Apocalypse, 
now it is here and getting ready to take over, don't get in our way.

(Sloan turns to face the camera as it pans up)

<Sloan>
Then, in but a matter of weeks, I face the ultimate test.  Last week I 
only toyed with the Slay-thing, prepared him for the destiny that awaits 
him. Come the PPV, when I face both you and my sworn enemy, there will 
be no more games.  Each of you claims to desire victory, each of you 
swears that you will do anything to survive, but neither of you has a 
prayer.  To me our match isn't about being the last man standing, it's 
about assuring closure.  I am willing to give up my soul to see to it 
that good prevails. I am willing to die to see to it that both you reigns 
of terror end.  My whole life has been about this day and when it comes I 
will certainly be...ready.

("The Unforgiven" by Metallica kicks in and the camera zooms out of the 
room and the door closes, and goes back down the long hallway to the 
pictures of Parker, Weapons of Last Destruction, and Mark Davidson 
flashing)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sloan gets into the ring, and then Hawaiian-style drum music comes up and 
out trots "The Little Kahuna" Maunukea Benard.  I sense a squash match 
coming on. =)  Benard enters the ring, and Sloan immediately goes to 
work with chops to the chest and headbutts to the face..after an irish 
whip by Sloan, tho, Sloan charged in with a Yakuza kick, and Benard 
ducked under and did a diving tackle right between Sloan's legs, driving 
him HARD into the mat.  Benard laid in several kicks to the body of Sloan, 
then ran to the opposite ropes and hit a good legdrop.

Benard picks Sloan up, sends him to the ropes, Sloan ducks a double cross 
chop, comes off the other side, and then does a rollaround float around 
Benard to get into a DDT position on his other side (very similar to the 
move the Rock does) and nails a VICIOUS DDT on Benard that flips him over 
onto his back.  Sloan then started scaling the ropes, waiting for Benard 
to get onto his feet, then hitting a hard sacrifice clotheslinen to flatten 
Benard.  He then picked Benard up, got him in the cobra clutch, and bulldogged 
him down into "The Enlightment" for the easy 3 count.

	##############################################
	# WINNER:  Sebastian Sloan, via pinfall 3:52 #
	##############################################