Apr 13, 1998

What a night!

One very unlikely standoff.
Two unlikely teams.
Three matches spilling over into each other.
More trash talking between a legend and a future star.

Let's get down to the action!

Contreversy right off the start as the legenday "Rebel" Jerry Kent came down to ringside to do the commentary of the Jack Slade/Kenji Hashimuto match. Kent sat himself down and immediately started to rip Slade.

Jack Slade beat Kenji Hashimuto with a flying cross body press at 12:57
**1/4

Not a bad match, but Slade certainly had the better of his opponent for much of this match. Hashimuto kept Cruncher guessing with a mixed ariel/power attack, but when he missed the Hashi-moonsault, it was all over. Slade connected with a few clotheslines, a power bomb and finished him off with a beautiful flying cross body press from the top.

Jerry Kent immediately grabbed the ringside mic and started belting Slade. Of course, Kent's big problem with Slade is the fact that he believes he has used his friendship with Mike Haggar to advance his own career, getting matches and push a wrestler that young shouldn't be getting. He told Slade a young man like Hashimuto had a future in this sport since he's learning the hard way, and that in a few years, the novelty of Jack Slade would wear off and people would see him for the failure he is.

Slade didn't respond well to these comments. He stormed out of the ring and he and Kent brawled all the way to the back of the arena, where several wrestlers seperated them.

Highland Hell beat North & South at 5:55 when Hamish Mactavish pinned North after a sunset flip.
-**

Another win for the Scots, but again, not a difficult one. North & South had their spots, but Angus and Hamish still blew through them in short order.

Jack Slade then came to ringside and sat behind the announcers table, because the next match was Jerry Kent vs Judgement.

"Rebel" Jerry Kent beat Judgement with a fisherman's suplex at 17:55
**3/4

Judgement, fresh off a loss to Mauling Bear this Saturday, wrestled one of his better matches against Kent, though considering that it was Judgement wrestling, the match wasn't a classic. The thing that Slade kept pointing out during the match was the length...Slade's longest match with the former circuit court judge lasted 7 minutes. He wondered to the home viewers if Kent had lost a step in his "old age". Then, after Kent dusted off the big man with the fisherman's suplex, Slade switched to the
PA.

Jack made a crack about the time and asked Kent if it got tougher to finish things off at age 56. (Kent is only 47, only 4 years older than Slade's mentor, Mike Haggar). Offering to get Kent his able walker, another fight ensued between the two.

Jean DuPuis made Rokuru submit to the reverse figure-four at 20:38
***

If Jean had wrestled this well against Naga Yajito a few weeks ago for the cruiserweight title, he'd be wearing some much deserved gold right now. This was a beautiful display of mat wrestling, but when DuPuis turned Rokuru's Roku Driver into a DDT, it was all over. 5 seconds in the reverse figure four was enough for Rokuru.

Grant Redstone beat Quasar with a rollover at 4:41
**1/2

The luchador put up a great fight, but he couldn't get past the power of Redstone. Surprisingly, the match ended not with the trademark Redstone suplex or another power move, but when Grant merely reversed a Quasar flying body press. Redstone is still undefeated, and now the wins are coming over bigger competition.

The Super Powers beat Rocky LaRoque and Strohm Mason when Gunloc pinned Rocky after a cross body block at 7:47
-**

The Powers won easily, with Gunloc showing his more restrained agressive self, but Biff and Gunloc must be wondering how much longer they must face the jobber teams before they get another world title shot.

Here's where the night gets a little interesting...

Skarzz beat Mauling Bear with the Skarring at 11:05
1/4*

Bear tried to match power with Skarzz..and failed miserably. Skarzz again spent the last three minutes of a match toying with his foe before Skarring him and getting the duke.

Skarrz was a bit slow leaving the ring, and on his way back, the guitar version of the Russian National Anthem hit the PA. Zangief was on his way to the ring.

Zangief, along with King Rasta, will face Skarzz this Saturday at Slam Masters: Purgatory, but neither man could really wait. A battle of the titans ensued, and when it ended, Zangief found himself in the ring, being beaten on by tonight's opponent, Nord Fullstrom. Nord took advantage of The Bear Killer's weakened state and went to work. But neither the Nordic Hammer or the Battle-Axe Kick could do it, as...

Zangief defeated Nord Fullstrom with the Siberian Bear Crusher at 7:30
**1/2

Then, Zangeif decided to stick around and do colour commentary for the next match, which was heated enough already.

After Cruiserweight Champ Naga Yajito beat North American Champ Chad Hillsman on SNSM, he agreed accidentally to a tag match against Yajito and Akira Wan-Pai. Having no friends, Hillsman said he'd take whoever SMWA commisioner Jack McCullough assigned him as a partner.

McCullough decided that the best partner would be The Great Oni.

This didn't sit well with Hillsman, who punches the windows out of any Honda he sees and refuses to eat out at any foreign restaurant. But, he agreed to it, and recieved taunts from the big Russian throughout the match. Naga and Akira were a well oiled machine, while Chad was preoccupied with the Japanese Oni in his corner and the Russian Zangief at ringside. Chad had enough of Zangief's taunts and confronted him at ringside. Oni, the legal man, left the ring and tried to get Chad back in. Oni recieved a Stars & Bars DVD on the outside for his troubles, and then Chad started a brawl with the Gieffer. Match result

Naga Yajito and Akira Wan-Pai defeated Chad Hillsman and The Great Oni by countout at 4:44.
**

Tag Team Title Rematch
The Dream Team (c) beat The Philadelphia X-Treme Machine by DQ at 3:31
****3/4

The three and a half best minutes in the history of this program and what was shaping up to be the best tag team match in history was RUINED when SuperStars Inc. entered the ring and jumped the champs, who cost SuperStars a match this Saturday. To shut Sky and Stingray up, Emerson & McKee have decided to put the belts up next Monday. Of course, it would be foolish to think that the PXM wont get involved.

Andrew Marshall and Ron Grayson (w/ Extinct) beat Pain & Agony when Marshall pinned Nitro with the De-Facer at 18:08
***1/2

Marshall and Grayson had already agreed that, once this match had ended, they'd finally give the fans the match they always wanted to see. But the Texas Chainsaw Massochist and Nitro weren't going to make it easy. It was a vicious tag team affair, with foreign objects, power moves and the flash of Grayson's high-risk offense. A De-Facer ended this match in favour of Marshall and Grayson, and set up the most anticipated rematch in SMWA history.

Andrew Marshall and Ron Grayson fought to a double DQ at 0:07

Right at the lock up, Ron S. Rayson and Clone Marshall interfered, causing the match to be called. All Seven of the Deadly Sins entered the ring and started to do a number on Grayson and Marshall. To the rescue came the unlikely force of Zangief, King Rasta, Extinct, Charles Slayer and Pain & Agony. They cleared the ring, and Marshall asked for the mic. Before he could even speak, Grayson grabbed it and said "Don't even say it. You and me against those copycat BASTARDS this Saturday"

WOW! Grayson and Marshall. One more time. And then, all bets are off.

Purgatory should be a memorable event.