Who would have thought that, when Rick Clark interfered in Mike Haggar's title defence against Zangief in May, that events would have gone this far.
    Not only did the former "No-Respect-Kid" weasel his way into a World Title Triangle Match at Slam Masters: Wild Card, he did the unthinkable.  He PINNED Mike Haggar for the SMWA World Heavyweight Title...and he has never let anybody forget that.
    Clark's Title reign ended a month later with a loss to Zangief at Heatwave '98, while Mike Haggar defeated then-North American Champion Jerry Kent to become the Number-One-Contender to the World Champion, garnering a match with Zangief at Back Street Brawl in September.  Clark and Kent headlined the next Massacre while Zangief and Haggar fought off the attacks of the All-Americans.
    At Slam Masters: Code Red, things took an interesting turn.  Zangief, with Haggar as his cornerman, defeated Chad Hillsman in a Loser Throws in the Flag Match.
    However, the show stealer was the Jerry Kent vs Rick Clark Classic.  These two gave everything they had and, finally, Clark managed to fell Kent.  Clark and Kent stood in the ring after the match, a long look of respect being exchanged.
    The next night, Clark challenged Mike Haggar to a match up.  It was another classic, but something strange happened along the way.  Jerry Kent came down to ringside as both men were brawling on the outside.  Kent took a swing at Clark with a steel chair, but Clark moved, and Haggar was KOed.  Clark picked up yet another win.
    That Saturday on Slam Masters, Jerry Kent beat World Champion Zangief by count out under similar circumstances.
    The team of Simply the Best had been formed.
    Clark and Kent had intended to destroy the legends of Haggar and Zangief by beating them as many times as possible.  Only the intervention of SMWA Commissioner Jack McCullough was able to stop StB's rampage, placing the big Zangief vs Haggar Title Match inside a steel cage.  Haggar came out of the match with the World Title.  And Simply the Best was ready to pick up the pieces.
    In a serious of brilliant moves, Rick Clark and Jerry Kent played havoc with the life of Mike Haggar.  Haggar, in an attempt to fight them off, called once more on his friend Jack Slade to help, as he  had done so many times before.  This time, it turned disastrous.  Simply the Best had an ace up their sleeves.
    Cody Simmons.  Mike Haggar's old friend.  Jack Slade's rival.  And Jessica Haggar's ex.  Cody brought a new weapon into the war - information.  Cody and the Haggars have a past that only they seem to know about, and Cody made sure to throw that in Slade's face.  Kent kept telling Slade he was a lifetime second-stringer.  Clark just ran everybody down.
    When Haggar and Slade lost to Simply the Best at Slam Masters: Proving Ground, that was it for them. The next Massacre, in a heart-wrenching speech nobody will ever forget, Jack Slade broke ties with Mike Haggar and broke Jessica Haggar's heart.
    Simply the Best had disrespected Haggar at every turn.  They had cast doubt on his championship legacy.  Then they cost him his best friend.  Jessica Haggar has not been seen since.
    Mocking Haggar in a variety of skits and songs, Simply the Best have made this intensely personal.  And though Haggar has found some temporary allies to help him along the way, we should make no mistake.  Come thanksgiving Thunder, it's Mike Haggar against the world.  Mike Haggar against a man who has beaten him three times in the past.  Mike Haggar against Simply the Best.
    He'll have to do it alone.

What's on the Line?

    This went far beyond the World Title a long time ago.
    It could be argued that all of the pressure here is on Mike Haggar.  He has yet to beat Rick Clark, while Clark has defeated him THREE times.  Clark and Simply the Best have been picking up fans everywhere they go.  Though Mike Haggar still is the crowd favourite, there is something about Clark that fans have gravitated to.  The devil may care attitude, the humour, the crassness.  Whatever it is, Clark seems to be taking over.
    Mike Haggar could not only lose his title, he could lose his standing as the ICON of the SMWA.  If Rick Clark wins, Haggar and everything he stands for will fall to the brash young upstart.  Mike Haggar is a proud man.  He's going to try do everything he can to cement his title reign and his status.
    With that in mind, Clark also has a lot to lose.  He's beaten Haggar three times.  The first time was in a triangle match.  The second time was one-on-one, but he had help from Jerry Kent.  The third time was in a tag team match.  He has yet to beat him one on one for the World Title.  And even though Clark calls himself Simply the Best, he only held the World Title for one month this summer.  A win here would allow him TRUE bragging rights.  A loss would make him look VERY bad.  All the skits, songs and insults, all of the plans laid out over the past few months would all be for naught, as Clark would be without the World Title.  That's not something he can bear.
    It's been said before, but the winner of this match will truly be...simply the best!

    "Titan" Tim is the leader of the Raiders, a stable formed specifically to bring down Sky Entertainment Ltd.  Ron Grayson is the Director of Personnel for Sky Entertainment Ltd.  As such, these two are at odds.  However, the big story of this match may not even be Tim Redbury and Ron Grayson.
    It may be Terry Sky versus Ron Grayson.
    "Titan" Tim beat Sky, the leader of Sky Entertainment Ltd. in a Million Dollar match at Back Street Brawl in September.  Ever since then, Ron Grayson seems to have been making a subtle power play to become the leader of Sky Entertainment.  Actually, there's nothing subtle about it.  As Director of Personnel, Grayson has pissed pretty much everybody off.  He booted Lantern from Sky Entertainment, claiming the luchador wasn't pulling his weight.  He hired Clepto the Clown, who was summarily destroyed by Tim on a Saturday Night Slam Masters.  Thanks to Simply the Best, he beat Mike Haggar by DQ and has started calling himself the "Corporate Champion".  He brought in the incredibly beautiful and totally clueless Monica in as his intern.  He even suggested to Sky that Simply the Best be brought into the Sky Entertainment Ltd. fold.  Sky, who has a long, dirty history with Clark, nearly throttled Grayson on the spot.
    Thus far, Sky has stood fast as the leader of the group.  He has handled Grayson's power plays with incredible tact, making the Director of Personnel look foolish more often than not.  But what happens if Grayson can do what Sky could not?  What happens if Ron Grayson defeats Titan?

What's on the Line?

    For Titan Tim, a successful Title defence and a chance to put a BIG nail into Sky Entertainment Ltd's coffin (though the Rolling Thunder Match, later in the evening, will likely have the same effect).  Titan has his title to lose, and the demise of Sky Entertainment to gain.  If he can defeat their two biggest stars in two months, he will have set out to what he had intended - he will have destroyed Sky Entertainment Ltd.
    Grayson has everything to gain and lose.  If he wins, he takes a big step to taking control of Sky Entertainment.  He might be able to steer it in the direction that HE wants, not having to worry about Terry Sky.
    Consider the flip side, however.  If Grayson loses, then he REALLY loses.  His power play will have stopped desperately short and Sky would have the perfect excuse to fire him on the spot.  And I'm sure several members of Sky Entertainment Ltd. would be VERY happy with that development.
    Grayson's life could change dramatically as a result of this match.

    With a victory over Highland Hell to win the SMWA War Titles, Steelworks and "Titan" Tim Redbury secured this tag team title shot at Thanksgiving Thunder.  But this goes beyond the tag team titles.  The crux of this match is Rod Emerson.
    Months ago, Rod Emerson's tag team partner, Peter McKee, had his career ended by Highland Hell.  Hamish repeatedly hit the Scottish Slam on McKee as Angus and The Flying Scotsman ran interference, ensuring that Emerson wouldn't be able to get involved.  Since then, Emerson has sworn revenge on Highland Hell, looking to avenge his former partner.  He has teamed with Andrew Marshall, another member of The Raiders, and formed the powerhouse team of Steelworks.  Tonight, Emerson gets another chance at revenge, and a chance at tag team gold.

What's on the Line?

    Highland Hell would love nothing better than to further humiliate Emerson.  He's a nuisance, as far as they're concerned, and should be treated as such.  Though this won't be an easy title defence, Highland Hell doesn't have much extra to gain from a victory.
    For Andrew Marshall, this is a chance to win some SMWA Gold, a goal which has alluded "Jackhammer" since he entered the federation.  A loss means yet another opportunity will have passed this young star by.
    Rod Emerson has the most to win and lose.  A victory means vengeance, and a second run as a Tag Team Champion.   A loss would be more mentally frustrating than anything else.  Emerson wants to kick the tar out of the Highlanders.  If McKee can't wrestle anymore, the least Emerson can do is take it out on the hides of Angus and Hamish.

    A TV Title defence with an interesting twist.  One that loosely revolves around new SMWA Referee and former Slam Master, "Jumbo" Jack Flap.
    A few weeks ago, Cody Simmons faced off with then-TV champion King Rasta.  Jumbo was the referee.  The match got messy near the end and Jerry Kent tried to swing things in the favour of his StB teammate, tossing Cody a chair.  Rasta took the chair and, in plain sight of Jumbo, blasted Cody.  Rasta went for the pin, but CODY was disqualified when Jerry Kent stormed the ring and attacked Rasta!  Jumbo maintains that he saw the chair shot but didn't disqualify Rasta because "Kent introduced the foreign object."  Cody didn't care.  He felt he was robbed of the TV Title and wanted a rematch.
    Monday, on Massacre, Cody came down to the ring and challenged West Bronco, who had just recently upended Rasta that Saturday.  Cody challenged Bronco, Bronco accepted and the two exchanged barbs.
    In the meantime, Jerry Kent called Jumbo out on his bias and then lost a match to King Rasta when Jumbo was distracted by Cody and Shadow Maxx attacked Kent on Rasta's behalf.
    We don't know if Jumbo will indeed referee this match at Thanksgiving Thunder or not, but either way, we have a good match lined up.  Cody Simmons is a seasoned street fighter and has some of the fastest fists in the game.  Bronco is an Arizona powerhouse who's toughened himself up in various bar room brawls.  He also hasn't lost since the summer.  Cody will likely have Kent in his corner.

What's on the Line?

    Really, not too much other than the TV Title.  Bronco wants to keep his hot streak intact and probably doesn't want to drop the TV Title this early into his reign.  Cody could pick up his first gold and, with it, be seen as an equal to Jerry Kent and Rick Clark.  Right now, a lot of people seem him as StB's third wheel.

    Johnny's nice.
    Kodiak's nuts.
    They are friends.
    Johnny Proton won a vicious Six Man Crash to garner a Cruiserweight Title shot against then-Champ Rokuru at Thanksgiving Thunder.  However, those plans went a little funny when Rokuru dropped his strap to Kodiak Marmoset.  These two friends will now face off.
    However, Kodiak doesn't want to.
    In recent months, Kodiak has been obsessed with destroying the man called Clone.  His match at Thunder was to have been that chance.  It still might be.  But first, he has to get through Proton.  Kodiak didn't want this, and he even managed to swerve Proton into delaying the match, but SMWA Commissioner Jack McCullough made sure that the incredibly nice Johnny Proton wasn't taken advantage of.  Kodiak was none too pleased.
    So now, on the night of his attempt at revenge, Kodiak Marmoset must also face off against one of the best Cruiserweights in the SMWA.

What's on the Line?

    Johnny Proton wants his Cruiserweight Title back, but he doesn't want to lose his friend Kodiak.  He might be Kodiak's ONLY supporter, in fact.  So, tonight, he can win a title but lose a friend.  For Proton, that's a tough choice.
    If Kodiak had his way, Proton wouldn't even show up.  He doesn't want this match to happen at all and will probably try to crush Johnny as quickly as possible.  Why?  Because the more energy he expends tonight, the less he will have for Clone later on.  THAT is the match he is focusing on.  Whether or not Kodiak loses, it's all a matter of how tired he is at the end of the match.  The less, the better.

    When Terry Sky hired Tim Redbury as the first member of Sky Entertainment Ltd., it looked like just another stop down the road for Titan.  But when he won the North American Title and Sky offered to buy the belt off of him, Titan did the only thing he could.
    He kicked Sky's ass.
    While Terry Sky was expanding Sky Entertainment Ltd., Titan was fighting the force on his own.  Eventually, he got tired of that.  Titan put together his own stable, calling them the Raiders.   Since that happened, these two groups have been intent on destroying each other.
    The rules are simple.  There will be a team of referees working this match.  Both teams of eight will take their brawl throughout the building.  When one wrestler is pinned, he is gone and his team carries on without him.  This figures to get rough.
    The Raiders have a great team assembled.  "Titan" Tim Redbury, their leader and the North American Champion; El Stingray, tag team specialist and former teammate of Terry Sky; West Bronco, the red hot TV Champion; Steelworks, the powerhouse team of Rod Emerson and Andrew Marshall; Teknos, former Cruiserweight champion; Nord Fullstrom, the powerful man who used to wear the mask of Doomsday; and Ultimate Spider, who is developing into one of the best flyers this sport has ever seen.
    Their opponents, however, are no slouches.  Terry Sky, multi-time Tag Team Champion and one of the best pure technicians in the world; Ron Grayson, the Director of Personnel and a lethal flyer in his own right; Highland Hell, who collectively hold the SMWA Tag Team Championships and the Toughman Title, and are former War Champs; Kenji Hashimuto, the up and coming Japanese star; and Dark Angel and Mauling Bear, two VERY powerful men.
    This match figures to have a little bit of everything.  It also figures to be a classic.

What's on the Line?

    Existence.  Simply put, if either team loses, there's nothing left.  If the Raiders lose, Titan will have failed in his bid to destroy Sky Entertainment Ltd.  If Sky Entertainment loses, it will be at the hands of a former employee.  You can't recover from a loss like that.  When your whole stable is beaten in one night, it's not a good sign.  The only way this feud will keep going is if the loss is close, but even then, who knows.
    This will likely be the final battle.  There is no turning back.

    We should have seen it coming.
    When Ghost was feuding with Doomsday and the original Major Force team of Alexander "The Grater" and Skarzz were facing off against the Philadelphia X-Treme Machine, we should have seen it coming.  But we didn't.  When these six men came together, Ghost kept attacking Major Force.  He's traded fists with everybody in this match.  Little did we know that Saul Masters was behind the scenes for this whole time.  Ghost joined Major Force when the trio brutalized Doomsday and the Philadelphia X-Treme Machine in an Armageddon Match on an edition of Monday Night Massacre.
    Since then, these two factions have been at each other's throats.  The goal here is simple: Destroy the Opponents.  Saul Masters wants Major Force to assume the role as the SMWA Mega-Stable.  Extinct wants to keep the Doomsday Hunters in the role they have held for almost two years.
    In the middle are two key forces.  First, the sharp, cunning minds of Saul Masters and Extinct.  These two have been going at it since before Crash Carnival, fighting pitched battles all over.  Which manager will be able to out manage the other at Thunder?
    Second, Doomsday and Skarzz.  Both are unstoppable and practically unbeatable.  Both have suffered precious few losses, and Skarzz has never been pinned.  Doomsday has only been pinned by Ghost and Mike Haggar.  These two giants are looking to put a major hurt on one another.

What's on the line?

    Dominance.  Even though the Doomsday Hunters have dropped in power over the past few months, they are still a stable that nobody wants to mess with.  Even their name evokes reactions of fear.  That is exactly what Masters wants.  He wants to be the feared one.  The Sins didn't achieve that.  They fell far short.  Masters now has three of the most terrifying men in SMWA history to attempt the takeover.
    If Extinct wins, he will have proven that the Doomsday Hunters can still be a viable force going into the new Millennium.  If he loses, then the Doomsday Hunters will have a lot of catching up to do.  And they'll have to catch up to Major Force.
    And on an interesting note, a win by Major Force will finally allow Alexander "The Grater" to get his pound of flesh from Extinct.  He's been after Extinct ever since he was dumped from the DH after New Year's Smash.  This is his chance to show Extinct who's boss.

    The war has raged ever since Chad Hillsman got Gunlco to turn against his long-time Super Powers partner, Biff Slamkovich, this summer.  Zangief, Biff's old friend, Hillsman's enemy to the day they die, has taken up arms with Biff.  Now we have the Eastern Powers versus the All-Americans in one hell of a war.
    A war that, recently, turned ugly.
    Zangief was facing off against Chad Hillsman in a leather strap match.  Earlier in the night, Hillsman had once again insulted Zangief's now deceased mother.  The mother who died while Zangief was fighting Hillsman in an impromptu challenge match.  That finally put Zangief over the edge.  After beating Hillsman in the match, Zangief nearly beat him within an inch of his life.  He wrapped the strap around Hillsman's throat and pulled with all his might.  Hillsman lost consciousness and needed AR on the way to the hospital.  He still sports the scars from the hanging.
    SMWA Commissioner Jack McCullough wasn't going to let this go any further.  He placed both Zangief and Hillsman on probation.  If either man participated in ANY attacks outside of a standard wrestling match, they would be suspended without pay.  Zangief was also fined one hundred thousand dollars.
    The past few weeks have been tense.  Gunloc and Biff, who can attack with immunity, have done so...repeatedly.  And if Zangief or Hillsman are around, there's nothing they can do about it.  Gunloc can attack Zangief for Hillsman, and Biff can attack Hillsman for Zangief, but Zangief and Hillsman can't fight each other.
    At Thanksgiving Thunder, that rule does not apply.  Hillsman and Zangief can tear a strip out of each other.  But once the match ends, it all comes to a screeching halt.

What's on the Line?

    Revenge.  Biff on Gunloc, Zangief on Hillsman, and vice versa.  The feud has been fairly even thus far and tonight could be the turning point.
    A lot of this match will revolve around Zangief and Hillsman.  The more violent they are, the greater the chances are of this feud ending tonight.  However, Zangief already proved how violent he could by hanging Hillsman in an act many have called attempted murder.  Hillsman has promised Zangief some of the same.
    This match could be life or death for both teams...literally.

    Three former allies.  Three men with one goal - destroy the Sins.  Three men who are now at each others throats.
    This summer, King Rasta, Grant Redstone and Shadow Maxx all had their reasons to attack the Sins.  Saul Masters and Skarzz were still in possession of King Rasta's closest friend, Bobby the Monkey.  Shadow Maxx had been aggressively scouted by the Sins, of whom he wanted no part.  And Skarzz handed Grant Redstone his first loss in the SMWA.  Together, these three were intent to destroy the Sins.  A six man match at Heatwave had several stipulations.  The most important one?  If Team Rasta won, Rasta would get his monkey back and the Sins would disband.
    They lost.
    King Rasta was forced to leave the SMWA for thirty days.
    Redstone was slapped with a restraining order, not allowing him to come anywhere near Saul Masters.
    Shadow Maxx became a Sin.
    Rasta returned and set things right, beating Skarzz in a Ladder Match at Back Street Brawl, effectively releasing Maxx from Master's service and lifting the restraining order.
    That wasn't the end of it.
    Redstone had grown bitter.  Masters effectively used the restraining order to screw him around constantly, ensuring Redstone's chances of SMWA success was limited.  Redstone blamed Rasta for losing the six man match.
    Bobby returned to Rasta, but he was a changed monkey.  We found out why.  Under threats from Saul Masters, Maxx was forced to torture Bobby during his stay with the Sins.  Rasta was out for Maxx's blood.
    And what about Maxx?  Well, he seems to be trying to make amends.  He has saved Rasta from attacks by Grant Redstone, Simply the Best and others.  Rasta hasn't been to receptive to Maxx's help.  He's going to feel vindicated when Maxx has been beaten to a pulp.  Amends be damned.
    Three men who are fighting each other for different reasons.  But the results promise to be explosive.

What's on the Line?

    Different things for each man.
    For Shadow Maxx, this is a way to show he is sorry.  If he can help Rasta destroy Redstone, then maybe he can finally prove that he is sorry.
    Redstone is simply looking to hurt some people.  He doesn't like Rasta and is furious at Maxx for his constant attacks.  A win by either of these two would put them into the upper echelon of the SMWA Slam Masters.
    Rasta's motive is vengeance.  He wants to avenge what happened to Bobby.  He wants to beat the hell out of Redstone for his bitterness.  He wants to put the last remnants of this Sins business behind him once and for all.
    A victory is critical for Rasta.  If he loses, he will not be a happy man.

    By his own admission, Kodiak Marmoset is obsessed.
    Clone handed Kodiak his first pinfall loss in the SMWA.  Since then, Kodiak has been on a slide.  In his attempt to destroy Clone, he has incurred the wrath of Zangief, Tim Redbury and others.  And he has yet to defeat Clone, who seems to have Kodiak's number.  The once indestructible Kodiak Express now appears much more potent, much more vulnerable.  But don't tell him that.
    The obsession has turned the once popular Kodiak into a man scorned by fans and the former mid-carder Clone into a household name.  And Kodiak is sick of it.   Tonight, he gets his chance to set things right.  To get a little piece of mind.

What's on the Line?

    Clone's reputation as the man who derailed the Kodiak Express will remain intact, regardless of the outcome of the match.  This is another chance for him to prove he is better than Kodiak, but it's a point many believe he has proved before.
    For Kodiak, everything is on the line.  He wants blood.  He wants revenge.  He wants Clone in the worst way.  A win gives Kodiak back his piece of mind and, if it's not too late, his sanity.
    A loss would likely have two effects.  One, it would probably drive Kodiak further into his madness, even deeper into his obsession.  Or, it could demoralize him to the point that he just gives up.  I'd bet on number one.
    And lets also not forget the Proton factor.  Johnny Proton will have already had his match with Kodiak earlier in the evening.  If Kodiak loses, he has an easy place to shift the blame.  And if that happens, I wouldn't want to be Johnny Proton.

    Weird.  That's the only way to classify this feud.  Weird.
    This match was originally supposed to be Naga Yajito versus Akira Wan-Pai.  Naga Yajito has been, well, "possessed" by Teioh and Zists.  He appears to be a vassal of their darkness.  Akira had been aided in the fight by some mysterious "Light Man", who has been tormenting Teioh for a long time.
    However, things took a drastic turn on a recent Saturday Night Slam Masters.  Akira received a serious neck injury and his future in the SMWA is now in doubt.  His match with Naga?  Cancelled.  Or so it seemed.
    On Massacre, the Light Man appeared in the ring with Naga Yajito, handing him Akira Wan-Pai's headband in what appeared to be a symbolic challenge.  Naga bowed, seemingly accepting.
    So now, the Light Man is taking it to the source.  No longer content to covertly fight Teioh and his minion, he is going to step into the ring.
    We think.

What's on the Line?

    For Naga, not too much.  He is definitely Teioh's cannon fodder, and even if he loses at Thunder, he can still be used as such.
    The Light Man is the focus of this match.  Who is he?  Why is he here?  What is he capable of?  We've seen a bit of his power, when he floored Naga after Naga had kicked THROUGH his head as if it weren't there.  The Light Man is looking for Teioh, that much is obvious.  A win over his servant would give him that shot.

    Not much of a story, except for The Actor's stupidity.  When Clone faced off against Jack Slade, the Actor decided to take a stab at him.  He dressed up like his former love, Jessica Haggar.  Jack was not too happy.  He demanded a match against The Actor and will get it at Thanksgiving Thunder.

What's on the Line?

    It's very interesting that, less than a month after breaking up with Mike Haggar, Jack Slade is now removed from top card matches.  He's out to find his own direction.  The Actor might just be the first step.  A win won't be huge for Slade, but it might be his first step to stepping out of Haggar's shadow on a major pay-per-view.  A loss would be a huge upset and potentially disastrous.
    The Actor is the major underdog in this bout.  There is no way he should beat Jack Slade.  If he does, then that is a bigger win than he could ever hope for.