December 26th, 1998
JESSICA: You still don't...
Go to Hell, Jack!
--------
Jessica
Haggar and Mike Haggar are talking in the back.
JESSICA: I'm not going out there now.
HAGGAR: Look, if you don't want to see him, you don't have to see him. But I would like you out there.
JESSICA: Not tonight, dad, okay.
HAGGAR: Okay. Come here, hon.
Mike Haggar embraces his daughter and then makes his way to the ring.
--------
SLADE:
That was touching.
--------
SLADE: Okay, what do
I have to do to get this match?
HAGGAR: That's up to you.
Slade broke away from Haggar and looked like he was about to leave the ring. Instead, he turned around and slapped Haggar in the mouth!!!
Haggar touched his face where he had been hit, but he didn't flinch. He just stood there. Slade gave him a look and then started to leave once more. He made his way out of the ring and headed to the back.
Mike Haggar was just slapped in the face... and he didn't do a thing.
What is going on?
We've waited a long time for
New Year's Day to arrive. But it's almost here.
And we STILL aren't sure about
the Main Event match!
Welcome to Monday Night Massacre!
Tonight, we've got a great show
for you, including a couple of confrontations that are going to rock this
arena down to its foundations.
The Flying Scotsman defends
his Toughman Title against the ever ready Clone. And, Kodiak Marmoset
is in the building.
In fact, he'll be facing off
against Doomsday a little bit later on. He better stay focused on
him. Fat chance.
Highland Hell defend their Tag
Team Titles against Steelworks.
Action from the weekend spills
over to Massacre as Cody Simmons faces off against Grant Redstone and West
Bronco defends the TV Title against Lovechild.
And, like we said earlier, two
major confrontations. First, The Eastern Powers and The All-Americans
will continue their war in a Triangle match. The third team?
Jerry Kent and "Tricky" Rick Clark, aka Simply the Best.
Finally, we will get to the
bottom of the Mike Haggar - Jack Slade situation. After all the matches
are done, these two will meet in the middle of the ring and decide upon
the fate of the World Title Match at New Year's Smash. Slade wants
it. Haggar doesn't.
Hopefully, tonight, we'll get
some answers.
******** Cue Major Force's Theme ********
Here they come. Saul Masters.
Ghost. Skarzz. Alexander "The Grater".
And Terry Sky.
Yes, that's right, Terry Sky.
As Major Force made their way down to the ring, we saw a few clips from
last week, when Major Force helped Sky fight off Highland Hell. "Simply
the Best stable money can buy", Sky proclaimed. Does this mean he's
the leader? Or is a man with all his money just another member?
Well, we'd have to wait a few
seconds, as Saul Masters had the mic.
MASTERS: Welcome to Monday Night Massacre. I'm sure you fans will all be pleased with what happens tonight. Major Force is here for several reasons, but there is one situation that needs addressing before anything. Jack Slade and Mike Haggar.
The crowd started cheering at the mere mention of the two names. They were as anxious as they could be. Though, one has to wonder why Saul Masters would still be harping on Slade and Haggar.
MASTERS: My message is this. Obviously, these fans want to see you wrestle. I, personally, don't care what they think. But, if nothing else, my curiosity does border on the morbid and I'm left wondering what would happen if, in fact, you two do face off. I'd look forward to that match, if for no other reason than to see you two destroy each other. That said, I believe Alex has something to say.
Master passed the mic to Alexander "The Grater".
GRATER: Damn right we want that match, all tha pain you two have caused me. But that aint what I'm gonna talk about. Shadow Maxx! Your damn ass got lucky twice and ya managed not to lose against me. Smash, that aint happenin'. I'm gonna take your shadow ass, tear ya up an' sell ya to Dodgers Stadium. They're gonna make Shadow Dogs. You think it's gonna happen, well you're damn right!
Ghost then took the mic. Apparently, they were all going to talk before Terry Sky, who was standing next to Skarzz with a big smile on his face.
GHOST: Well, it seems like a certain Commissioner left my name off the New Year's Smash card. But that's all right. That's all right.... McCullough, I don't blame you for being scared of me. I could run this place any time I wanted. For now, I'll just sit back and watch your tailor made main event. Haggar, while it would be interesting to watch you and Slade beat each other down, I almost wish you wouldn't show up. Rain on our Carnival Barker's main event match. But that's neither here nor there. I see several confused faces in the crowd. Maybe Terry can give you some answers....
And Ghost gave the mic to Terry Sky. This would be interesting.
SKY: Shock. Disbelief. Astonishment. Am I leaving anything out there, Skarzz?
SKARZZ: ....
SKY: Oops, forgot. Well, anyway, a lot of people are wondering how I fit in to a group like Major Force - Shut up, douchebag, I'm talking - Anyway, for me, it's not a matter of how I fit in to Major Force. It's how Major Force fits in to a war! See, Simply the Best... Well, you're not, but you are pretty damn good. And I could face you alone, and I would win in the end, but it's just so much easier if I have these four behind me. I mean, look at the matchups! Grater vs Cody. Skarzz vs Clark. Ghost vs Kent. Masters vs Monica! Who are you going to vote for?
A small "StB" chant began to go through the crowd. Those have been getting a little bit louder as of late. StB seems to be gaining a cult following of sorts.
SKY: Oh, and I forgot the important one. Grayson vs Sky. So far, Ronnie, just in terms of acquisitions, it looks like I'm in the lead. But this Friday, New Year's Day, it comes down to you and me. I don't need to tell you who I think is going to win. But if I were you, I'd be worried. After all, I don't have a match tonight. You do.
Huh? Ron Grayson wasn't scheduled to wrestle.
******** Cue StB's Asshole theme ********
Out comes
StB. Clark. Cody. Kent. Monica.
And "Daredevil"
Ron Grayson with mic in hand.
SKY: I was waiting for you to show up.
GRAYSON: What are you smoking, Terry? I know when I'm supposed to wrestle, and I am NOT supposed to wrestle tonight. And now you're telling me I've got a match? Hey, if you're challenging me to tonight, I'll turn that down. I'd rather be prepared for Friday.
SKY: I'll explain this real slow for you, Ron. I'm not challenging you. Remember June? Remember the Wild Card Tournament? Remember who won? Hey, I think it was Skarzz and Grater. Let's see, you win that tournament, you can ask for a title shot whenever you want. And the champ has to give it to you. Well, they've already had their Tag Title shot... And they've already had their TV Title shots... What's next, what's next... Oh yeah! The North American Title!
Grayson's jaw dropped as he realized what was going on. The rest of StB didn't look to impressed, but Clark looked especially pissed off at what Sky was doing.
SKY: Well, Saul, do you have anything to say?
MASTERS: Terry, as a sign of our devotion to you, we're going to have Skarzz destroy Ron Grayson tonight! He's playing his Wild Card!
Skarzz vs Ron Grayson! Wow! Grayson was going to poop out a puppy, the way he was looking.
GRAYSON: Wait... You can't... Not tonight....
SKY: We can and we did...
Rick Clark took the mic from Grayson, who was having trouble making words meet.
CLARK: Go talk to Monica, Ronnie. Get her to help you with your sentence structure. Okay, Terry, since Ronnie can't back out of that Wild Card deal, Skarzz has got himself a Title shot. But while I've got a mic, I might as well talk. First of all, I admire how you're using the Force, Luke. If we had seven feet of puss and wounds on our side, we'd probably send him after you, too. And Masters, I'm sure you're pretty pleased that Terry Sky is sacrificing his Title match on Friday, because it's pretty obvious Skarzz is going to win.
MONICA: Heh!
CLARK: Quiet, woman. Go conjugate a verb or something.
SKY: That's not what Monica uses her tongue for, Rick, and you know it.
CLARK: Did I say you could talk, Terry? Shut up and let me finish. Now, you guys COULD let Skarzz wrestle Ronnie tonight. But, Terry, why? If Skarzz wins, then you don't have a Title shot at New Year's Smash. You've never held a Title here, you poor sucker, so why would you want to throw that all away tonight?
SKY: Ricky... Skarzz is going to wrestle Grayson tonight... We're sending Skarzz out to beat Grayson black and blue, NOT to beat him for the Title!
Grayson's knees began to get a little bit weak. Cody held him up. Clark smirked and his voice got deadly serious.
CLARK: Of course... You've never been above intentionally injuring somebody before, have you, Terry.
SKY: Look straight at me when you say that, Ricky. Don't let that good eye wander.
CLARK: I thought so. You're still one sick, screwed up son of a bitch. Fine, if you want to play that game again, go ahead and play. Ronnie's got three of the best wrestlers in the SMWA backing him up. You've got four thugs who'd sell you out for a phone call. I wouldn't be so confident.
SKY: Well, I am. And you're dead.
CLARK: See you tonight, then.
SKY: Later, Ricky...
With that, StB disappeared into
the back once more. It's pretty obvious that tonight isn't going
to be about wrestling. It's going to be about hurting Ron Grayson.
It's going to be a war for survival. It's going to get messy.
Terry Sky and Rick Clark are
at odds once more. This will not be pretty.
We went backstage to see Mike
Haggar arriving in the building, Jessica Haggar at his side. Here's
a man who's going to have to give a few answers tonight. Wonder what
they will be.
After taking some commercials, Nick Jones was backstage. He saw the Haggar's and tried to get a word with them. The brushed right past him. They're not going to talk to anybody except Jack Slade.
SMWA Toughman
Title Contest
The Flying
Scotsman (C) vs Clone
Well, Clone has shown that he can successfully
emulate any style in the SMWA. How effective of a fighter could he
be? More importantly, could he be effective enough to beat the Flying
Scotsman in a Toughman Match?
History would say no.
But who knows.
Clone is taking a risk taking
this match days before his important confrontation with Kodiak Marmoset.
These matches usually end in injury or a whole lot of pain. Clone
is tough, but is he tough enough to beat the Scotsman?
We would see....
Round 1
It rarely gets past this
round with the Scotsman. Within ten seconds, it looked like Round
two would be just a dream. The Scotsman nailed Clone with a vicious
uppercut that put him down on the mat. Clone got up at the count
of eight. Hanging back, he actually did something that was unexpected.
He used a leg trip to take the Scotsman down. Clone got five points
against the Scotsman. However, that usually isn't enough. But
Clone was game, hitting the Scotsman with a massive haymaker as he got
up. For the first time in a long time, the Scotsman looked dazed.
Clone went for another shot, but the Scotsman moved and countered with
another uppercut, taking Clone down again, this time for a seven count.
Clone got up but then was quickly floored by a quick series of jabs.
That was all.
SMWA Toughman Match:
The Flying Scotsman defeated
Clone via first-round technical knockout at the 00:35 mark.
Clone suffered a back injury.
He will be out for approximately 1 card.
(The Flying Scotsman retained
the SMWA Toughman Championship.)
Points
Clone
- 5 0
0 0 0 -
5
The Flying Scotsman
- 20 0 0
0 0 - 20
Knockdowns
Clone
- 0 0
0 0 0 -
0
The Flying Scotsman
- 3 0
0 0 0 -
0
Like everybody else, Clone had
gone down. And he had gone down quite strangely. He was holding
his back in obvious pain as the Scotsman grabbed his belt and left the
ring. After running through a couple of replays, we returned to the
ring. Clone was still there! The shots from the Scotsman had
done something to him, and officials were on their way down to check him
out.
And Kodiak Marmoset was right
behind them, mic in hand.
The crowd saw Kodiak and immediately
started chanting "loser". Kodiak just smiled.
KODIAK: Hey, if I'm a loser, what the Hell is he? Impressive, Clone. Impressive. Man, you went down faster than an intern on the President. Ha! Look at you. Oh, did Scotty hurt you? Aw, poor baby.
Commissioner McCullough then came out behind Kodiak and ordered him into the dressing room. Clone looked to be hurt. Kodiak backed away from the Commissioner and went backstage. We went to commercial.
On our return, we found Nick Jones in the back.
JONES: Fans, I've just talked to doctors, and it turns out Clone hyper extended his back in his Toughman contest against the Flying Scotsman. It looks like it might have happened during that takedown that Clone scored, though we cannot be sure. The doctors are still looking at Clone and aren't sure how severe the injury is. He could be out a day, he could be out for a week or two.
KODIAK: WHAT!!!
Kodiak Marmoset came into view of the camera. He immediately grabbed Jones and started yelling at him. Looks like some snapping was happening.
KODIAK: Clone is WHAT?!?!
JONES: He... Um... He....
Kodiak tossed Jones against a wall and grabbed him by the throat.
KODIAK: You tell those doctors to get to work and make sure that Clone is there at New Year's Smash. I've gotta go find that sheep f*cker in the skirt.
And with that, Kodiak released Jones and went storming off. Jones tried to regain his breath.
JONES: Huh... Fans... Hah... I think... I think Kodiak's gone looking for the Flying... the Flying Scotsman... If we hear anything... whew... we'll let you know... back to you... John....
Kodiak is scheduled to face Doomsday in a few minutes, and he's off searching for the Flying Scotsman. Where is this guy's head? This obsession is going to kill him!
SMWA Television
Title Match
West Bronco
(C) vs Lovechild
Considering that Lovechild beat
the man facing Bronco at New Year's Smash on the weekend, it only made
sense for Bronco to put the title up on the line against Lovechild.
The cagey cruiserweight pulled off a big upset win against Cody Simmons
this Saturday. And Bronco has had some trouble with Cruiserweights,
most notably Dragon de Hielo and BC-2000. Would Lovechild be able
to capitalize and take the Television gold?
Referee for this match... "Jumbo"
Jack Flap
Lovechild wasted no time turning this encounter into a brawl. That was his mistake. Bronco out punched him, over powered him and out classed him. A big lariat put Lovechild down and then Bronco signalled for the Tombstone. He hit the move and that was all!
West Bronco pinned Lovechild
with the Tombstone in 0:00:34.
Rating: DUD
(West Bronco retained the
SMWA Television Title.)
West Bronco is awesome!!! He asked for the microphone from ringside after this squash and gave a little address, giving Jumbo a little look before he did. Jumbo paid no attention.
BRONCO: Hey, Cody. That was for you, New York. Way I figure it, this guy kicked your ass on Saturday. Well, he just got bucked up in under a minute, so what does that mean? Means New Year's Smash is going ta be a short night for me, but a L-O-N-G night for you. See ya then!
Something was happening in the back. Our camera was rounding a corner and we caught up to Kodiak and The Flying Scotsman arguing.
SCOTSMAN: You best be backin' off, Kodiak.
KODIAK: Back off? You might have cost me my only chance at revenge! You want ME to back off? How about you back off!?!
SCOTSMAN: I was just doin' my job, Kodiak. Don' be bustin' me up!
KODIAK: Oh, I'll bust you up, you sissy skirt wearing....
Kodiak didn't get to finish that
statement, as the Scotsman floored him with a right hook to the side of
Kodiak's face. Kodiak crumbled like feta.
And his match with Doomsday
was next!!!
After the commercials...
| We
are watching shots of the Japanese coastline. A slow, arching camera
shot reveals Teioh standing on an outcropping rock, engaged in a kata,
practising his martial arts. We hear Zists' voice in the background.
The Fury of the
Storm. The Great Wind and Great Thunder. Nature at war with
itself. Lightning strikes the water in front of Teioh. We fade away into the blackness. |
Kodiak Marmoset vs Doomsday w/ Extinct
Well, Kodiak just got punched
out by the SMWA Toughman Champion... and it sure did show on his way to
the ring. The left half of Kodiak's face was pretty badly swollen.
But hey, give him credit. He's stupid enough to pick a fight with
the Toughman Champion before a match with Doomsday, but at least he's willing
to fight Doomsday with an eye swollen shut and a big bruise on his head.
Kodiak is a moron.
Doomsday came out after Kodiak,
and soon after, our match began.
Kodiak tried to start it off
quickly by brawling with Doomsday. The Scotsman must have hit him
hard than we thought, because you should know that you do not brawl with
a man who weighs four hundred pounds and is impervious to pain. Doomsday
grabbed Kodiak, lifted him over his head in a Gorilla press slam and then
just dropped him to the mat. Kodiak wasn't looking too good early
on.
Doomsday followed up the slam
by kicking and punching Kodiak all around the ring. Kodiak would
try to get the occasional shot in here and there, but damn if it wasn't
working. Doomsday wasn't giving Kodiak any indication of pain or
anything. He just kept on coming. Doomsday grabbed Kodiak by
the throat and then slammed him down with a choke slam. Holding on,
Doomsday picked Kodiak back up and grabbed him with both hands, hanging
him high overhead, choking the life out of him. Finally, Doomsday
broke the hold... by throwing Kodiak to the ground.
Kodiak backed in to a corner,
where Doomsday charged in with an avalanche. Kodiak got his boot
up, stunning Doomsday a bit. However, when he charged at Doomsday,
Doomsday hit him with a big powerslam and he followed up with a series
of spinning elbowdrops. Kodiak was in bad shape.
Whatever offence Kodiak mustered,
Doomsday just shrugged off. Doomsday kept coming with powerbombs,
lariats and a patented DH launch slam. Kodiak kept getting back up,
but he was too weak to do any damage. It took a little bit of help
to get Kodiak going.
Terry Sky ran down to the ring
and immediately got in the referee's face. Extinct jumped up onto
the apron and started to brawl with Sky, and the ref was dragged in, trying
to break it up. Skarzz ran down to ringside with a steel pipe.
As Doomsday ran into the ropes, Skarzz smashed him in the leg with the
pipe, sending Doomsday crashing to the mat. Skarzz slowly walked
to the back while Terry Sky broke off his assault on Extinct. Sky
had done his job. Advantage, Kodiak.
Kodiak, not really realizing
how Doomsday went down, wasn't one to look a gift steel pipe in the mouth.
Walking over to Doomsday, Kodiak began to work over his knee. Not
bad strategy. Gunloc managed to score a victory over Doomsday a while
back by nearly destroying his knee in one match, and although Doomsday
wasn't pinned, the match was stopped. Kodiak seemed to be copying
that strategy.
However, Gunloc had the luxury
of a steel chair, no DQ rules and a lot more power than Kodiak. Kodiak
tried to lock on a Ziplock to work over the legs, but was shrugged off
by a still powerful Doomsday. Same for a Texas Cloverleaf.
Doomsday got up, and while he was a little slower than before, he was still
deadly. Kodiak came at him with a high cross body. Doomsday
didn't even bother to catch him. He just stood there and let Kodiak
bounce off.
Doomsday began the domination
once more. Overpowering Kodiak, it looked like the match would end
any minute. Doomsday picked Kodiak up for a back suplex, but Kodiak
flipped over. Doomsday turned around and Kodiak kicked him hard in
the leg. This staggered Doomsday for a second, allowing Kodiak to
hit THE FINISHER!!! Not wasting any time, Kodiak went for the pin.
KICKOUT!!!
Well, that was anti-climactic.
Kodiak got up in disbelief.
Doomsday got up without it and was much quicker in doing so. Kodiak
went for another Finisher, but Doomsday was ready for that one. He
grabbed the boot and tossed Kodiak to the mat. Picking him up,
he hit him with a spinning power bomb. Not content to just have one,
Doomsday hit two. Then a third. After that, he made the cover.
1...
2...
Yup. 3!
Doomsday pinned Kodiak Marmoset
after a spinning power bomb in 0:09:33.
Rating: *** 1/4
Well, at least Kodiak lasted
ten minutes with Doomsday. That's kind of impressive.
Doomsday didn't bother to beat
on Kodiak anymore. Still limping a bit, he walked to the back, looking
for Skarzz.
Kodiak slowly got to his feet...
Only to see Clone laughing at him on SlamVision.
CLONE: Nice match, Kodiak! Thanks for "taking out the Scotsman". By the way, turns out the injury isn't that bad and I'll be there on Friday. So it looks like you took that shiner for nothing. I'm going to go now. Go ahead, snap and chase after me!
Kodiak did. He charged into the back, slowly, because he had just had the crap kicked out of him. He wanted to get at Clone.
We went to commercial, and returned
to a shot of the arena crowd. John Lee was telling us about the pre-game
show of New Year's Smash, SMWA Smash Up, where we would see the debut of
this man...
|
|
We see shots of the shadowy man in the trenchcoat, taking down the gunman in the london theatre
|
|
Another shot of the dark
figure, ducking into an alley at night.
|
|
Another shot of the dark
figure, swinging past Big Ben on a wire.
|
|
A close up of the symbol.
We move right in to it as it begins to emit a light as the music begins
to play.
|
|
Quick fade to a well dressed,
dark figure, a shadow against the light.
|
|
Yes, SMWA Smash Up will not only
feature the debut of the Dark Brand, but some other great matches, including
Rokuru vs BC-2000, The California Kid vs Naga Yajito, A five man Battle
Royal to determine the Flying Scotsman's opponent at New Year's Smash and,
in the "main event", Ghost will face off against Grant Redstone.
Also, we will have exclusive
interviews with several of the wrestlers at New Year's Smash.
SMWA Smash Up. Don't miss
it!
"Streetfighting Stud" Cody Simmons vs "Big Oz" Grant Redstone
Well, Cody made a big mistake
when he mistakenly hit Grant Redstone in the face on Saturday Night.
It was a mistake that cost Redstone his match with West Bronco and, later,
after Redstone attacked him, cost Cody his match against Lovechild.
Tonight, a little chance for
revenge for both.
But first, Cody came out to
do a little bit of StB style ranting.
Cody noticed a beautiful looking
woman in the front row. He grabbed the mic, climbed into the ring,
and started up.
CODY: Hello, gorgeous. You're looking lovely tonight. Who's that guy beside you? Boyfriend? Kinda? So it's not concrete yet, is it. Well, hon, you can do one of two things. You can stick with that fat, furry, horse toothed... OH MY GOD! WEST BRONCO'S DAD!!! Wow! Anyway, you can stick with the older West, or you can find me later and I'll show you why, when it comes to matters of the bed, I am... Simply! The! Best!
The woman didn't exactly seem
to mind Cody's suggestion. The man did seem to mind, but his kinda
girlfriend sat him down, telling him it was all just a joke.
Then she asked him to go home
early. She'd meet him there.
Well, we don't know if she did,
but that would be kind of funny.
Grant Redstone came to the ring
next. He didn't have a rant. He had some rage, though, and
he charged into the ring and attacked Cody right away.
Unfortunately, Redstone tried
to turn it into a brawl, and that fit right into Cody's game plan... Except
that his punches weren't having that much effect. In fact, Redstone
seemed to be shrugging most of them off. Finally, Cody swung wide
on a left hook and Redstone countered with a belly to belly suplex.
Cody hit the ground hard.
Redstone went on one of his
suplexing tears. A Northern Lights suplex, a Dragon suplex, an Aztecan
suplex... Grant was cleaning Cody's clock right out, and Cody looked defenceless
to do anything about it. A big lariat by Redstone took Cody outside
the ring. As Redstone got outside, Cody got a cookie sheet he had
hidden under the ring. Redstone was fed a face full of cookie sheet.
Several times, in fact. Cody got the edge.
Cody kept on brawling with Big
Oz, ducking the big punches he'd throw and then stinging him with various
jabs and crosses. Redstone was looking to be in a little trouble.
After an uppercut, Cody went for a vertical suplex. Big mistake.
Redstone reversed the move and flattened Cody with a front suplex.
Cody was hurting. Redstone grabbed him for another Northern Lights
suplex, but Cody was ready. Ready to cheat. He planted a boot
in Redstone's... lower regions and then proceeded to put him away with
the Dead End combo. A big later to Grant Redstone, ladies and gentlemen.
Cody Simmons pinned Grant
Redstone with the Dead End in 0:06:27.
Rating: ** 1/4
With Redstone out for who knows how long, Cody took the mic again.
CODY: Hey, West! You beat the guy that beat me earlier. I beat the guy that would have beat you on Saturday if I didn't beat him for you. So who beats who on Friday? I'm sure in that corn fed heart of yours, you know the answer. See you later, honey.
That last comment was directed
to the woman at ringside, not Bronco.
We went to the back and saw
Jack Slade entering the arena. The two parties are present.
The "intervention" should happen later tonight. Until then, we needed
to pay some sponsors. We returned to a big match.
SMWA World Tag
Team Title Match
Highland Hell
(C) vs Steelworks
Rod Emerson still hasn't gotten
revenge on the Highlanders for what they did to his tag team partner, Peter
McKee, months ago. Highland Hell has consistently beaten Steelworks
and Emerson on many occasions. This match could be seen as a warm-up
for this Sunday.
However, to consider this match
a warm-up would be foolish for the Highlanders. Steelworks, though
they've been cold as of late, can pull off a win at any time. All
they need is the chance.
They would have that chance
tonight.
It was Marshall and Hamish to
start off, but not for long, as Angus soon made his presence felt and Marshall
was double teamed with reckless abandon. Marshall is a strong guy,
but not as strong as Hamish and Angus together. Jackhammer was getting
the beats something fierce, then Hamish really started to lay the shots
in. He nailed Marshall with a vicious Diamond Cutter and followed
up with a Doctor bomb for a near fall.
Marshall was brutalized for
a few minutes until he managed to floor Hamish with a reverse clothesline.
Quickly, he made the tag to Emerson, who laid it in to both the Highlanders.
Several lariats took Angus and Hamish off of their feet and, quickly, Marshall
was tagged back in. He hit Angus with an inverted atomic drop and
then followed up with a vicious Jackhammer slam. He quickly tagged
back out to Emerson, who powerslammed both members of Highland Hell before
focusing on Angus, who the ref was treating as the legal man.
Emerson tossed Angus around
for several more minutes before tagging back out to Marshall. Marshall
charged at Angus with a Thez Press, but Angus countered with a spinebuster
slam. Hamish was tagged in and Marshall was in trouble.
Jackhammer tried to fight off
the assault of the Highlanders, but they were just too big and too strong.
Emerson tried to get in, but he ended up hurting Marshall's chances even
more. Marshall received several power bomb variations and was nearly
pinned after a Tiger bomb. Finally, Hamish made a mistake.
He went to the middle turnbuckle and tried to hit a flying elbowdrop.
He missed. Hamish tagged Angus. Marshall managed to tag out
to Emerson.
Emerson blazed in once more,
fairly fresh still. Both Highland Hell came into the ring, Marshall
got back in and it became a big four man brawl. Marshall and Hamish
spilled outside, where Hamish spiked him head first into the ringpost.
Emerson was having a field day with Angus in the ring until Hamish got
back in and nailed him with an inverted power bomb. That softened
Emerson up for Angus, who hit the For William and made the pin.
Highland Hell defeated Steelworks
when Wallace pinned Emerson with the For William in 0:10:09.
Rating: **
(Highland Hell retained the
SMWA World Tag Team Titles.)
Maybe Highland Hell were bored
with the constant challenges of Emerson. Maybe they were just feeling
particularly sadistic. Either way, they decided the beating wasn't
over just yet.
Angus went outside to tie up
Marshall. Hamish picked up Emerson and hit him with a vicious power
bomb. History seemed to be repeating itself as Hamish set up the
former Dream Teamer for the Scottish Slam.
OUT CAME THE AIR RAIDERS TO
STOP THE BRAWL!!!
Um, how?
Well, quite sneakily, actually.
Stingray got up on the top turnbuckle, next to where Emerson was perched,
and kicked Hamish square in the nose. Hamish fell off the buckle
and hit the mat, with Stingray following up with a SuperStar Press.
Spider found Angus on the outside
and grabbed his kilt. Using all his might, he pulled and the kilt
came off! Angus was wearing trunks, thank God, but he was distracted
enough to stop beating on Marshall.
Angus started chasing after
Spider, and that allowed Marshall time to grab a chair and clear Highland
Hell out of the ring.
Highland Hell had just been
chased off by the Air Raiders and Steelworks. Nice.
However, Marshall wasn't looking
too happy. You can't blame him. He had just been saved by two
Cruiserweights who, combined, don't even weight as much as Hamish.
Maybe it wasn't a very flattering rescue, but it was a rescue.
And, it let Highland Hell know
that, even though they may be bigger than the Air Raiders, Spider and Stingray
aren't going to be pushovers. It should be a great match.
Before going to a commercial,
we saw Ron Grayson bitching with Simply the Best in the back. Grayson
didn't really want to go out. StB said they'd have his back.
Grayson seemed relieved. Monica was checking her nails.
SMWA North American
Title Match
Skarzz Plays His Wild Card
"Daredevil"
Ron Grayson (C) w/ Monica
vs
Skarzz w/ Saul
Masters
Welcome to the trap.
It's pretty much been implied
that Skarzz is not going to try and win the North American Title.
He's here to mess Ron Grayson up and mess him up badly. And he'll
succeed, unless Grayson and StB can pull something off.
Winning is hard. Hurting
people is easy. Skarzz wins by hurting people.
Skarzz came out first with Masters,
who didn't look at all concerned. Skarzz was his usual self.
The kind of guy you wouldn't want to run in to anywhere.
Next came Grayson. He
was breathing heavily and looking to Monica for support. But people
were already cheering her, so her managerial duties were being forgotten.
With Monica at his side, Grayson was alone.
Taking a couple of deep breaths
before getting in to the ring, Grayson entered the war zone.
Ronnie tried to get some kind
of quick advantage, peppering Skarzz with dropkicks to the chest, knee
and anyplace else. Skarzz decided not to notice. He booted
Grayson in the face, sending him outside. Monica consoled him and
the two talked for a few seconds.
I really want to know what kind
of advice Monica can give Grayson!
Grayson got back in and flew
right into a choke slam. This wasn't getting easy.
Terry Sky was making his way
to ringside. It was going to get harder.
Rick Clark led the rest of StB
out to head off Sky. Terry tried to fight StB off, but it was too
much for him.
So, it's a good thing that Ghost
and Alexander "The Grater" rushed out to attack StB. A big brawl
was starting in the aisle.
Skarzz locked a chokehold on
Grayson. He wouldn't let go. The referee tried to break the
choke. Skarzz kicked him in the stomach and then punched him with
his free hand.
The bell rang. Grayson
won. But he was being choked out!
Ron Grayson defeated Skarzz
by disqualification in 0:02:29.
Rating: * 1/2
(Ron Grayson retained the
SMWA North American Title.)
Grayson was trying to get out
of the grip of Skarzz, but Skarzz would not let go. Grayson was fading
fast. And with the rest of StB engaged in a brawl, Grayson had nobody
to save him.
Except for Monica!
Monica grabbed a chair and jumped
into the ring. She tried to hit Skarzz. You couldn't even hear
the damn impact, it was so soft. Masters grabbed her and took her
out of the way.
******** KABOOM ********
Doomsday
was on his way to the ring... But first, he'd have to fight past StB AND
Major Force!!!
Doomsday
grabbed Sky and Clark and smashed their heads together. Cody was
levelled by a big boot. Ghost approached Doomsday but was given a
thunderous choke slam. Doomsday then took Kent down with another
lariat. Grater was all that stood in Doomsday's way. He got
in a couple of punches before Doomsday hit him with a low blow.
Doomsday
walked past the bodies and went to the ring. Saul Masters got in
his way, and Doomsday merely shoved him down. Monica got the hell
out of the ring. A kick to the head broke Skarzz's hold on Grayson,
and Doomsday and Skarzz were face to face seconds later. Monica grabbed
Grayson and pulled him outside. He was coughing, but able to stand.
Doomsday
led with a right. Skarzz followed up with a right. Lariats
were exchanged. Finally, a boot to the head sent Skarzz outside.
Doomsday
stood alone.
Officials
tried to clear up the brawl that was happening as we went to commercial.
Simply the Best had to get out of there, because they would be coming up
in our...
Main Event
Tag Team Triangle
Match
The Eastern
Powers
vs
The All-Americans
vs
Simply the
Best
******** Cue Ring Announcer ********
RA: Ladies and Gentlemen, the following contest is a Three Corners Tag Team Match. It is scheduled for one fall, with the first team to make a pinfall being declared the victors.
******** Cue StB's Asshole Theme ********
RA: Introducing first... Weighing in at a combined weight of four hundred and seventy four pounds... "Tricky" Rick Clark and "The Rebel" Jerry Kent... SIMPLY! THE! BEST!
Again,
StB is getting a few more cheers than they used to. Maybe it's because
they were willing to step it up against Major Force just a few moments
ago. Either way, StB is getting more popular each time they come
out.
Clark
and Kent had to do a little something on the mic before the match started.
Clark
first.
CLARK: Well, I don't know about everybody else in the arena, but I just feel like I've been beaten up by a bunch of monsters and a rick prick. But we're going to give this triangle thing a go. Eastern Powers. All-Americans. You guys can play Axis and Allies all you want, but you've stepped into enemy territory tonight. You wanna go to war, came knocking on our door, now we'll pin you to the floor. But if you still don't understand what the Hell I'm talking about, I've got three little letters that can make it just that much clearer for you. S! T! B!
A few people even talked along with the letters. Kent had the mic next.
KENT: Eastern Powers. All-Americans. You may be bigger. You may be more aggressive. You may hate each other's guts. But there is one thing you're not, and that is Simply the Best. So from Tricky, this is Jerry Kent saying goodnight, god bless and let the ass kicking commence!
StB is good to go.
******** Cue The Star-Spangled Banner ********
RA: Their opponents... First... Weighing in at a combined weight of five hundred and fourty nine pounds... THE ALL-AMERICANS!!!
Well, nobody likes these guys. No comment necessary.
******** Cue The Eastern Powers Theme ********
RA: Their opponents... Weighing in at a combined weight of five hundred and sixty seven pounds... THE EASTERN POWERS!!!
Cheers
galore. Zangief and Biff have taken it to the hated All-Americans
since day one, and they've done it with a lot of class. The war now
seems to be swinging in their favour. A win by either of those two
teams could play big going in to the Gulag match this Friday.
Of course,
we can't forget the StB factor. Clark knows just how to work a triangle
match to his advantage. That's how he won his first World Title.
The bell
rang...
"Tricky"
Rick and Gunloc would start it off. Clark tried to wrestle the Loose
Cannon down, while Gunloc relied on his edge in power. Neither man
was able to make any headway early on, so Gunloc made the tag.
To ZANGIEF!
Zangief
was a bit surprised, but that's the way it works in a triangle match.
Besides, Clark and Zangeif are no strangers to one another. Zangief
beat Clark for the World Title back in the summer, and Clark probably hasn't
forgotten.
Zangief
took Clark down with a boot to the face and then went back to Gunloc.
He slapped Gunloc in the face. I guess that's a tag.
Gunloc
went after Clark, wearing him down with a little more power. Then,
continuing the little mind games, Gunloc tagged out again. This time,
to Biff.
While
the nostalgia of watching Gunloc tag Biff was overwhelming, it was also
just a little bit creepy. It was only a few months ago that these
two were Tag Team Champions. That was before Gunloc let his impatience
get in his way.
Biff,
a little stunned by the act, turned away from Clark for a few moments.
That was all Clark needed. Biff turned around and received a superkick
to the jaw. Clark then tagged to Kent.
Clark
and Kent did what the Eastern Powers and The All-Americans hadn't done
yet. They worked as a team. StB took turns wearing down Biff.
Desperate to get in, Zangief tagged Kent.
Which
meant it was ZANGIEF vs BIFF???
Zangief
picked Biff up and started talking to him. Both men went to the All-Americans
and tagged them in!
HILLSMAN
vs GUNLOC!!!
Chad and
Gunloc both charged the Eastern Powers, who took them down with backdrops.
Zangief and Biff quickly slid outside and grabbed the legs of the All-Americans,
bringing them near the ringposts. In complete synchronization, Biff
and Zangief yanked Gunloc and Hillsman crotch first into the ring posts.
While the All-Americans squirmed in pain, we had to take a few commercials.
We came
back to an incredible pop. Rick Clark had just made the tag to Zangief.
Gunloc had just tagged to Chad Hillsman!
Zangief
and Hillsman waited all of two seconds before they tore in to one another.
No holds were used. It was a battle of fists and hate, a battle that
soon spilled to Biff and Gunloc.
The next
few minutes were spent with The All-Americans and the Eastern Powers duking
it out. StB stood on the apron, watched and played rock, paper, scissors
to pass the time.
Finally,
Kent got tired of standing around. While Chad Hillsman and Biff Slamkovich
were duking it out, Kent slapped Biff on the back, tagging himself in.
Hillsman went for a clothesline against Biff, but Biff ducked. Kent
took the move. Hillsman figured that he might as well follow up on
the guy he just clobbered. Chad followed up with a vicious power
bomb, several lariats and a running powerslam. The powerslam got
him a two count.
Biff,
wanting back in badly, managed to tag Kent when he got near the ropes.
Hillsman was immediately levelled by a lariat which sent him over the top
ropes. Biff jumped right over with a plancha. Gunloc came over
to continue the brawl, but Zangief met him.
The ref
counted, StB stayed in the ring.
1... 2...
3...
4... 5... 6....
7... 8... Biff tosses in Hillsman 9... Biff gets in
Biff picked
Hillsman up and planted him with a Tombstone. With Hillsman down,
what better time to bring in Zangief? Biff tagged in his partner.
Zangief
was looking to go berserk. He picked Hillsman up and delivered a
big Soviet suplex.
AND KENT
TAGGED ZANGIEF OUT!
Zangief
looked at Kent as he entered the ring with disbelief. Not for long,
though. When Kent was close enough, Zangief punched him in the back
of the head and got back in to that ring.
Zangief
wasn't going to let anything keep him from Hillsman.
The crowd
started to boo, and we saw why. Terry Sky and Ghost were making their
way to the ring. They pulled Clark and Kent off the apron and a brawl
began. Cody and Grayson came down to help StB, while Grater and Skarzz
came out to even up the sides for Major Force.
StB, brawling
with Major Force, was now out of the match. It would be The Eastern
Powers vs The All-Americans.
Zangief
was looking to end it. He picked Hillsman up and nailed him with
the Siberian Bear Crusher.
1...
2...
NO! Gunloc breaks the pin. Biff comes right in after and clobbers
Gunloc. Those two brawl on the outside as Zangief picks up Hillsman.
Hillsman hits a low blow. Gunloc takes Biff to the ringpost.
Advantage,
All-Americans.
Gunloc
and Hillsman proceeded to work over Zangief, nailing him with some double
lariats and more illegal double team moves. At one point, Gunloc
had Zangief in Tiger suplex position and Hillsman helped snap him over
with a lariat.
1...
2...
KICKOUT!!! Whew!
The action
went outside again, where The All-Americans were merciless in their assault.
While Gunloc distracted Biff, Hillsman floored Zangief with a DDT outside.
This was getting messy.
Hillsman
took Zangief back inside and tagged Gunloc. Gunloc set Zangief up
for the Gut Crush. Biff saw it coming and knew he couldn't stop it.
He had other plans.
Gunloc
hit the move. Biff climbed to the top rope.
1...
2...
BIFF BREAKS IT WITH A FLYING ELBOWDROP!!! WOW!!! Both Zangief
and Gunloc were out in the middle of the ring. Slowly, each man made
his was to their corners.
Gunloc
tagged Hillsman.
Zangief
tagged Biff.
Gunloc
and Zangief were both in a lot of trouble on the apron. Hillsman
went at Biff with a lariat, but Biff ducked and hit a Frankensteiner.
Hillsman got up to be floored by a lariat. Biff hit him with another
Tombstone and then climbed up top. HAMMER SPLASH!!!
1...
2...
GUNLOC DIVES AND BREAKS THE PIN!!!
Zangief
was quick to attack Gunloc and get him out of the ring. Hillsman
got up and took a swing at Biff. Biff ducked and caught Chad from
behind. He perched him up on the top turnbuckle and, in one motion,
took him down with a belly-to-back superplex. The ref made the count.
1...
2...
3!!!
Triangle Match:
The Eastern Powers defeated
The All-Americans and Simply the Best when Biff pinned Hillsman after a
belly-to-back superplex in 0:21:46.
Rating: *** 1/2
Zangief got back into the ring and was about to attack Hillsman. Biff got in his way. The match was over, and Zangief and Hillsman were no longer allowed to touch each other.
"Friday... Friday..." Biff kept repeating Friday to Zangief.
The Gulag Match is where this thing will be settled.
We took our final commercial. Security was bolstered backstage. When we got back, Mike Haggar and Jack Slade would be in that ring, face to face. Hopefully, we'd figure out what was going to happen with their match at New Year's Smash.
******** Cue Jack Slade's Music ********
Jack Slade made his way down to the ring first. There were a few boos, a few cheers, but most fans were silent. They were about to watch one of the most important meetings of 1998. Whenever Jack Slade and Mike Haggar get together, it's always a display.
******** Cue Mike Haggar's Music ********
Mike Haggar also came out to a quieter than usual reaction. The fans weren't here to cheer. They were here to find out what was going to happen.
Both Mike and Jack had microphones in hand. Haggar got in the ring and stood right across from his former protégé. Neither man said a word at first. Nobody wanted to take the first shot. Finally, Jack piped up.
SLADE: Mike... Last week, I asked you what I could do to get you in the ring against me at New Year's Smash. I'm going to ask you again. What do I have to do?
There was a pause between the two. Mike Haggar was taking his time, trying to come up with the right thing to say. No sense setting Jack off twenty seconds in.
HAGGAR: Jack... I'm not trying to make a deal with you, here. What I said is what I said. I don't want to wrestle you at New Year's Smash.
SLADE: Yeah, you've mentioned that before. What you haven't done is given me even the simplest little explanation as to why. You've given me crap like "I have nothing more to gain" or "I have nothing to prove".
HAGGAR: How do you know I don't feel that way?
SLADE: Because fourty eight hours before you turned down this match, you were all set and ready to go. You were signed against Ghost, and when he put you in the hospital, you tried to get out so you could face him. You sure seemed to give a damn about the World Title at Final Breath, Mike. And two days later, when the belt is around my waist, you don't want anything to do with it. Does that make sense to you?
Haggar didn't say anything. He couldn't find the words.
SLADE: Speechless, huh? I guess I've hit on something.
A smattering of boos went through the crowd. Slade looked up for a second.
SLADE: You can shut up! Boo me all you want, I'm not the guy who's lying in this ring.
That got Haggar's attention.
HAGGAR: Hold on, Jack. I'm not lying. Do NOT accuse me of lying!?!
SLADE: Well, you've sure learned how to conceal the truth, if nothing else. New York ring a bell?
HAGGAR: New York has nothing to do with this...
SLADE: The Hell it doesn't!
HAGGAR: JACK!!! Let me have my piece here. The fact is, I don't have anything to gain from another World Title run. I've held it five times. That's more than anybody else in the SMWA. Look at who I've beat. The Omega Centurion. The Great Oni. Alexander "The Grater". Zangief. And I've defended it against more guys than that. If I retired tomorrow, there'd be parades, video specials and tributes. I'm not trying to brag, but those are the facts, Jack. You tell me. With all that behind me, what do I gain if I beat you?
SLADE: Well, if you put it that way, nothing...
HAGGAR: Thank you...
SLADE: Of course, what you just said wasn't really you. Those are the thoughts of every broadcaster, magazine writer and internet smart out there. "Mike Haggar has nothing left to prove in his career". That's what they think. That's not what you think. You're a competitor. In your mind, you've got something to prove every time you step into that ring. I saw the way you looked at this belt a couple of weeks ago. I see the way you're looking at it right now. You don't just want this, you need it. This is a part of you and it always has been. When people think about the World Title, they think about Mike Haggar, and when Mike Haggar thinks about wrestling, he thinks about the World Title. And if you try to tell me differently, you're a bigger liar, a bigger crook than all the Graters, Scorpions and StBs out there!
That got a reaction from the crowd. It also got a reaction from Haggar.
HAGGAR: Okay, fine. I care about the World Title. Is that what you wanted me to say?
SLADE: That's part of it. You know what the next part is.
HAGGAR: Well, let me ask you something, Jack! Why are you being such a jackass about this whole thing? I've had people back out of Title matches with me before, and I've never seen anybody act like this. What's wrong with you?
SLADE: You know damn well, Mike.
HAGGAR: A few minutes ago, you asked me what it would take to get me to wrestle at New Year's Smash. An explanation would be nice.
SLADE: If you need me to explain, Mike, then there's something wrong with you.
HAGGAR: Now who's hiding the truth...
SLADE: DAMMIT, FINE!!! FINE, MIKE! YOU WANT ME TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU?!?! I spent the first THREE years of my career fighting YOUR battles!!! I had my ass beaten by Alexander "The Grater" for over ONE HOUR so I could get you a World Title shot! Jerry Kent came in and targeted ME to get to YOU! Charlie Angel nearly nailed me to a CROSS because he thought I was some kind of "Chosen One". Why? Because of YOU! Then Cody shows up, and I get used as a pawn and become less important than things that happened years ago in New York! I finally break away and I'm fight MIKE ACTGAR at Thanksgiving Thunder! Am I making things clearer for you Mike?!?! HAVE I EXPLAINED IT TO YOUR SATISFACTION, OH GOD OF WRESTLING!?!?!
Slade was nearly hoarse from yelling. But Haggar wasn't going to give him any down time.
HAGGAR: Fine, all of that happened. But look at you now. You're the World Champion.
SLADE: BECAUSE OF YOU!!! YOU, MIKE!!! I've tried to tell myself I did this by myself, and that teaming with you was all some kind of crazy co-incidence, but that is a LIE, and I am NOT going to live it ANYMORE!
HAGGAR: Jack...
SLADE: DON'T GIVE ME THAT "JACK" CRAP!!! DON'T TALK TO ME IN THAT "I KNOW BEST TONE OF YOURS"!
There was a very uncomfortable pause in the ring. Jack was seething with anger. Mike Haggar didn't know quite what to do. Should he feel angry or upset? Well, Jack had plenty of anger to go around. He held the World Title high above his head with one hand.
SLADE: You see this? You see this belt? I COULD GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THIS PIECE OF CRAP!
Jack tossed the World Title belt out of the ring. Our ring announcer got to it before a few fans who tried to jump the rail. Jack continued.
SLADE: This isn't about a belt, Mike. I could win this five years from now and nobody would think anything of it. This is about YOU... and ME! I tried going out by myself, Mike, I really did. I broke away from you, and I broke away from your daughter in the hopes that somehow, some way, I could climb out of this gigantic shadow you cast over all of creation. I couldn't. God help me, I tried, but I couldn't! You know what it's like, Mike, to have somebody else's name attached to everything you do? Plain and simple, it sucks! And it's enough to drive somebody insane. Maybe you have "nothing to gain" by winning another World Title, but I have everything to gain by beating you!
There was another pause. Jack Slade seemed to be done. Haggar needed to respond.
HAGGAR: And you really think, just by wrestling me, that it's all going to get better?
SLADE: Well, Mike, not wrestling you isn't going to help at all.
HAGGAR: You think by being in a main event with me, that breaks you out of my shadow?
SLADE: No... But if I beat you, it does.
HAGGAR: You really believe that?
SLADE: Want me to write a book on it, Mike? You're damn right I do!
HAGGAR: Okay, fine. You've had your turn. Now it's mine. Jack... I do want that World Title back. It's one of the few things in this sport worth fighting for. But there are other things out there, too.
SLADE: Okay, I'll bite. What?
HAGGAR: Think back for a second, Jack. Think back before Cody showed up. When I think back to that time, I remember having a friend who would stick beside me through thick and thin, and I'd do the same for him any day of the week. We were the best team this sport had ever seen, and I challenge anybody to tell me differently. But it went beyond that. I thought of you as a friend, a confidant and as one hell of a guy. There was a time when I wouldn't have even minded you being my son-in-law. Still, I heard what some people were saying. I'd like to say I was blind to it at the time, but I wasn't. I knew what people were saying. Haggar's Boy. Haggar Jr. Jack Haggar. A few jerks in a sea full of people who, frankly, didn't mind watching us wrestle together. Still, I knew it wouldn't be long before one of those jerks spoke up. Enter Cody.
Mike paused for a second, checking to see if any of this was sinking in.
HAGGAR: I was selfish, Jack. Truthfully, I should have sent you on your way a long time ago. I should have done something to separate myself from you, because I knew it was going to cause problems. I didn't. I didn't because you were great company and one of the greatest allies and best friends I ever had. After Proving Ground, when you broke this whole thing of, I was a little upset, but I was also pretty glad. I was proud that you had the balls to do what I couldn't do. Unfortunately, it was too far gone at that point, and like you said, you couldn't climb out of the shadow. And I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry. I had kind of hoped that, when you broke away, that we could become friends again at some point. That, after a while, I could approach a match like this and not have to worry about it. This... This came too soon, Jack.
SLADE: So what are you trying to tell me, Mike? Spell it out.
HAGGAR: Jack... There's a part of me that still wishes we were fighting the good fight together. That same part is terrified that, if we fight at New Year's Smash, that it will never happen again. I've seen what this business does. You held out longer than most, but it looks like it got to you, too. Jack, if we wrestle at New Year's Smash, any chance of us having any kind of friendship after that is likely to go right out the window. Kicking the crap out of each other won't help a single damn thing. The way things stand right now, I don't know if we can survive a World Title match.
Mike Haggar was trying to preserve whatever shreds of friendship he and Jack had left. Jack looked a bit stunned, but he wasn't about to start bawling yet.
SLADE: You've been honest with me, Mike. I appreciate that. Let me be honest with you. If you back out of this match, I will resent you for the rest of my career, and probably for the rest of my life. I know that's a horrible thing to say, but it's the damn truth. You're afraid that us wrestling is going to kill our chances of being friends again? Well, I'll tell you right now. If you back out, there isn't ever going to be a friendship again. We've got to get this match out of the way if we are ever going to be friends again.
HAGGAR: .... So what you're saying is that we have to fight to save our friendship?
SLADE: What I'm saying is that, if we don't fight, there isn't going to be a friendship left to save.
Haggar and Slade locked eyes with each other. Slade had just dealt the final hand. There was nothing else that could be said, nothing else that could be done. The next answer from Mike Haggar would have to be a yes or a no. Simple as that.
HAGGAR: You've got yourself a match.
The crowd
erupted into cheers! Mike Haggar stuck out his hand and Jack Slade
accepted it. The handshake spoke volumes. New Year's
Smash is a go!