[KO Dave]

The following will be my story about how the NAFW may have continued into 2009. A handful of former NAFW handlers post here or at least lurk here, so I figured there may be some limited interest considering most of the characters are familiar to them.

It will pick up in present day, but with the fall out from the events of the last NAFW show as part of the basis for this continuation. If you are interested in briefly reading up, you can find all of that information on TheNAFW.Com.

If you have any thoughts, comments, etc., feel free to leave them in the thread in the Diary Dome discussion, found HERE.

Thanks for reading.

[KO Dave]

Versus television network to revive wrestling organization
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 9:00 AM

NEW YORK (AP) – The Versus television network announced this morning that it has reached an agreement to re-launch the historical wrestling promotion the North American Foundation of Wrestling. This news comes as a shock to many within the television industry as the NAFW was one legal headache and disappointment after another.

Its last event was OBLIVION, which aired live on Pay Per View from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California on August 31, 2008. One week later, the announcement to cease operations was made known within the company. All championship titles were relinquished and returned to management on September 8, 2008. Wrestlers were officially released from their contracts on December 31, 2008, and a few have gone on to compete for other regional and national promotions.

After a rough re-launch on TNT, the Versus network was quick to pick up airing the NAFW’s flagship show, Annihilation, as well as the rights to air reruns of NAFW programming from the past. But the downturn in the economy hurt the NAFW’s ratings, live attendance, Pay Per View buy rates, and merchandise sales. Things were looking up for the company with wrestler-actor Mike Lane’s 2008 summer blockbuster “The Defense,” but not only was its debut on Versus ruined by wrestler and then-world-champion Mike Stryker, co-star Dane Cook was attacked by Stryker too. This resulted in the movie flopping and numerous lawsuits being filed against Versus, the NAFW, and Stryker as well. It was a heavy enough burden to bear that Hector Gonzales made the executive decision to cease operations of the NAFW for a second time in the company’s history.

Versus retained the rights to air NAFW programming, and it recently worked out a deal with NAFW owner Hector Gonzales to re-launch the promotion. This time though, things will be quite different. The NAFW has historically been a national promotion, touring large arenas internationally and airing its shows live. Now, the promotion has been scaled back, and is returning to its roots in the North Atlantic. Specifically, the NAFW will tape its shows in a New York City sound stage converted to hold a small stage, wrestling ring, and up to 3,000 fans depending on the bleacher configuration. Furthermore, the NAFW will not be airing in prime time. Rather, its flagship show Annihilation will be reduced from two hours down to one hour in length, and air Wednesday nights at 11 PM, with replays at 2 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. It's debut show is scheduled to tape this weekend, and air on June 3, 2009. Pay Per View events are no longer in the budget, and the show will instead run Supercards to be promoted by the Versus network.

Just who the promotion will feature is another big question. No names have been mentioned as being under contract, but some names must have resigned for Versus to green light the promotion again. It is suspected that Mike Lane may be a marquee player for the company once more as he is under a movie contract with Versus and earned rave reviews for his role as legendary boxer Max Baer in the movie “Misunderstood: The Max Baer Story,” which was released this past March. This could be one of the reasons Versus green lighted the restart of the NAFW – to use as a vehicle to further Mike Lane’s acting career.

Only time will tell if there is still room for the NAFW amidst several other wrestling promotions occupying television airwaves.

[KO Dave]

5grappling.org has reported the following about the restart of the NAFW and possible roster members:

- Mike Lane is expected to be on board for the promotion as the AP Newswire indicated. He has a contract with Versus so he won’t be paid from NAFW’s pocket book. Versus executive Phil Raines was said to be instrumental in getting Mike Lane back on board with the NAFW.

- One half of the tag team the Old School Empire (OSE), Dustin Thomas, is reportedly stepping down from his hosting duties on VH1’s “Rock Of Love Encore Battle Royal” which features the losers from past seasons of the “Rock of Love” franchise and other VH1 dating “reality” shows duking it out in various unique “physical” challenges. The first season has finished filming, but he is not expected to return for a second season, indicating he might be headed back to the NAFW.

- There is no word on the other half of the OSE, Shane Thomas, will return. He has been training for some strong man competitions down at Muscle Beach in Venice, California. One would think with qualifiers for the World’s Strongest Man competition coming up, Shane will not be stepping back into the squared circle.

- Perennial journeyman Tyrone “Don’t Call Me Crazy Boy” Smith is expected to be back with the NAFW. Smith has been with the Foundation for many years and only recently brushed up against some shots for the Foundation Heavyweight Championship. Considering Smith splits time among various promotions, some wonder if he’ll finally reach the top gold this time around, or if he’s just collecting another paycheck.

- NAFW Hall of Famer Sean “Spaz” Thomas announced on his American Idol blog that his fans can expect to see him on the re-debut of Annihilation. Spaz is widely hailed as one of the cornerstones of the Foundation. It is unknown if Spaz’s friends and the last reigning NAFW Tag Team Champions, “The Goods” (Slush and Ammo) will return. They’ve mostly been working weekend shows on the indy circuit since the closing of the NAFW.

- The last Atlantic Champion, Snake, has been slithering around various promotions, and is rumored to return to the Foundation as well. There is no word on whether the Atlantic Championship will return considering the condensed one hour format of Annihilation.

- The exciting young up-and-comer Andy D made quite a splash in his last NAFW run, but his management team “Ace Promotions” would not comment on whether they were preparing him for a return to the NAFW this weekend.

- Updates on other names are expected to leak out over the weekend when taping is going to occur, including news on Keith Owens, Mike Stryker, the monster Hush, and others.

[KO Dave]

RajahNAFW has reported the following about who may be in and who may be out of the new NAFW:

- The last reigning NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion, "The Big City Hitman" Mike Stryker, has reportedly been working for the New York Port Authority down at the docks since the closure of the NAFW. Some fans pestered him on the job, but he did not give any indication whether or not he'd be making an appearance at the taping. Stryker has not wrestled a match since Oblivion 2008.

- The last NAFW Grand Slam Champion, "The Difference Maker" Keith Owens, has yet to be seen or heard from since driving Trevor Cunning out of the Foundation at Oblivion 2008. While it is expected that Cunning's ban from the Foundation will be upheld, no one has a clue about what has happened to Owens. Comatose girlfriend Melissa Hayes' hospital room has been under constant police protection since a threatening note for Keith was left there. His father, the ex-Senator, is still serving his prison sentence in a white collar federal prison in an undisclosed location. Some have speculated that Owens has been moved into federal protection and that would most definitely count him out for a return.

- "The Reaper" Leonard Aarons is not expected to return to the company either. "The Reaper" carries a high price for his services, and that's a pay day the NAFW can no longer afford to make.

- Jaime Alejandro recently announced at an indy show that he'd be finishing his retirement tour in the NAFW, as he initially promised. Alejandro had looked in peak condition when he was working limited dates for the NAFW a year ago, but he's since put on a few pounds and has let several nagging injuries go unattended on the indy circuit.

- Finally, the monster Hush is heavily rumored to be returning with his manager Aleister Essex. The 6'11" 326 lbs. masked giant is a big draw and always one of the main attractions for the Foundation.

- The unlikely duo of Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels, their valet GNR, and their body guards Brick & Mortar surprisingly might not appear on Annihilation anymore. If you'll recall, at Oblivion 2008, Rock and Rex had Brick and Mortar assault Fred Durst AND Dane Cook. And needless to say, those two didn't quite have the money to cover their share of the lawsuits.

- Finally, it has been confirmed by Versus executive Phil Raines that both JB Mann and Tom "Bear" Kalhoun will be returning to the announce booth for Annihilation. It is felt that the two generally owe their careers to the NAFW, and both have been doing various radio broadcasting in the northeast since the closure of the NAFW, and agreed to return despite the salary reduction because of its filming location in New York City. NAFW ring announcer Troy Gilmore will not be returning according to Raines, but he named no replacement.

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #1
Only on Versus

Intro – The show opens with a montage of famous NAFW clips over the years as the opening to Silversun Pickups' “Panic Switch” plays us in. After seeing some of the more memorable moments with David Kurresh, the Judge, Intruder, Griever, Spaz, Keith Owens, Thomas Fitzgerald, Stud Muffan, and others, the camera fades in to the new stage at the NAFW Arena in New York City. Laser lights, smoke, and some small sparkler pyrotechnics go off below the new, smaller, NAFWtron. The camera pans to various crowd shots, and the soundstage looks to be about 2/3rds full. JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun welcome us to the re-debut of Annihilation on Versus.

[Time – 2:00]

In the Ring – As the music fades, the shot cuts to the middle of the ring where NAFW owner Hector Gonzales stands along side of Versus executive Phil Raines. The crowd breaks into a small chant of “Welcome Back” but Hector motions for them to quiet down. In his heavy Texas accent, he says that in this business you never say never, and tonight proves that you can’t keep the NAFW down. He admits there were several missteps last time around – some of which he should have controlled better – but this time around, he will be more hands on and guarantees this will be the best incarnation of the NAFW yet. Phil Raines then butts in, catching Hector off guard, and says the Versus network is thrilled to have the NAFW back. Without further adieu, Raines invites the top star of the NAFW down to the ring – “Mr. Old School Hollywood” Mike Lane.

Jane's Addiction song "Superhero" plays over the speakers as Mike Lane steps out from the back in a suit without a tie and sunglasses. He poses at the top of the ramp, but the crowd gives him no love. Lane makes the short walk down to the ring and after entering, shakes hands with both Raines and Hector. Lane takes the microphone and says that after his latest groundbreaking movie performance, he’s more than happy to be back in the ring. Raines says that he’s not going to lie, he’s elated Mike Lane is back with the NAFW to make Versus some money. The crowd boos, but Raines ignores it, continuing on. He says Mike Lane isn’t the only superstar under an exclusive contract with Versus. Tonight, someone else is being granted a second chance at the spotlight thanks to the Versus network. With that, Eminem’s "Til I Collapse" plays and the crowd pops.

The last NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion, “The Big City Hitman” Mike Stryker somewhat reluctantly steps out from the back with a black hooded sweatshirt on. He looks around the crowd, but Stryker doesn’t embrace the fans. He enters the ring and keeps his distance from the other three men there. Raines says last time Stryker was in this ring, he cost the Versus network a lot of money. Unsurprisingly, Stryker owes Versus a lot of money in return, and working two shifts at the docks wasn’t cutting it. He goads Stryker and asks how his wife and kids enjoy living in their Long Island slum after giving up their penthouse overlooking Central Park. Stryker doesn’t even react – and Raines says he’s pleased because Stryker’s a tamed beast now. Raines reminds Stryker that if he does anything out of line, his career will be over and his family will be out on the streets.

Hector interjects and says we’ll be picking things up where they left off since both Lane and Stryker are back, and tonight’s main event will be a tag team match, with Mike Lane and the monster Hush teaming up against Mike Stryker and a partner of his choosing. The crowd pops for this. Hector asks Stryker who his partner will be, and pushes the microphone into his chest. Stryker pulls back his hood and looks around the crowd. After a few moments, he grumbles “No one” and spikes the microphone on the mat. He walks out of the ring to no music as we cut to commercial.

[Time – 9:40]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Andy D vs. Mike Castleberry - We return from commercial with JB and Tom contemplating Stryker’s state of mind. We learn that Troy Gilmore is still the ring announcer. Jay Gordon’s "Keep Yourself Alive II" plays and Andy D enters the ring, receiving a nice reaction from the crown. Megadeth’s "Die Dead Enough" is next, and Mike Castleberry comes out with a microphone in hand. He says he was the last X-Treme Champion and he deserves more respect than Andy D, who couldn’t even hang on to the Atlantic Championship at Oblivion. He goes on that he broke his damn neck for the fans, but no one ever cared when he was down and out, body broken and bank account broke, but tonight that’ll change.

Andy D comes out of the gates swinging, and Castleberry tries to keep things grounded with a lot of shooting in. Castleberry gains the upper hand with a camel clutch but Andy D rallies out of it. He takes down Castleberry with a neckbreaker and follows it up with some high flying offense. Andy D goes for a tornado DDT, but Castleberry pushes Andy D off into the ropes and counters with his “Last Breath” backcracker. He rolls Andy D up but Andy D counters with a pin. Castleberry kicks out after a two count. Before Castleberry can get back to his feet, the lightening quick Andy D runs in and nails the Dragon's Bite (Shining Wizard Knee Kick). Its lights out for Castleberry as Andy D gets the three count.

Andy D celebrates for a few moments, then exits the ring. As he’s walking up the ramp, Snake slides out from underneath the ring! Before Andy D can turn around, Snake jumps him with a Venom Sting (RKO). Snake gets down on the ramp and appears to be taunting the knocked out Andy D.

[Time – 5:35]

Backstage – The camera cuts backstage to interviewer Amie Carmichael, who is standing by with Tyrone Smith. Amie asks Tyrone how does it feel to be back in the NAFW? Before he can answer, Aleister Essex steps into the shot with his monster Hush. Essex grabs the microphone and says no one cares how Tyrone feels to be back in the NAFW because Tyrone is a nobody. Essex points out that Tyrone has won titles in companies that no one has ever heard of, yet after many years in the Foundation, Tyrone never could win the big one here. The Brit tells Tyrone he’s not fooling anyone, and that “Crazy Boy” should pack his bags and go home to play with his mentally challenged brothers because he’ll never be more than a little fish in the big pond known as the NAFW as long as Hush is swimming the same waters.

[Time – 2:14]

COMMERCIAL

In the Ring – Ring announcer Troy Gilmore introduces NAFW Hall of Famer Spaz to the ring. Daughtry’s "There and Back Again" greets us on our return from commercial, and Sean “Spaz” Thomas, along with his manager Twitch and his friends The Goods, Slush and Ammo, come out from behind the curtain. The crew enters the ring with the crowd cheering for them, and Spaz takes the microphone from Troy. Spaz thanks the crowd for their warm reaction. He says that tonight is a fresh start and second chance for many people in the back. Spaz notes that he couldn’t be more elated that the NAFW is back, but this is a time for change, and Spaz is old news. He says that Oblivion was probably the highlight of his career – being inducted into the NAFW Hall of Fame, watching his friends Slush and Ammo win the Tag Team titles, and breaking his losing streak with Twitch by his side. Spaz says he doesn’t want to tarnish those memories, and that’s why he’s come out here tonight to announce his retirement from the ring. He says that tonight will be a new beginning for him, only it will be one outside of the ring. Spaz puts over the amount of talent sitting there in the back, and that it’s someone else’s time to shine. Spaz closes his speech by thanking the fans for their support and for allowing him to entertain them for so many years. The crowd breaks into a “Thank you Spaz” chant as Spaz & Co. graciously head to the back.

[Time – 5:17]

Video – The home audience is treated to an extended promotional clip for Mike Lane’s last move “Misunderstood: The Max Baer Story.” Lane talks about how it was natural for him to play a boxer because he’s always in peak condition and has an extensive background in karate in addition to pro-wrestling, so he looked like he belonged out there in competition. Lane continues on about how playing a controversial character came naturally to him because so many people are jealous of his natural abilities, and that he was born to have the spotlight which he deserves thanks to this film.

[Time – 3:00]

Match: Dustin Thomas vs. Jaime Alejandro - Lil Wayne’s "Fireman" hits the public announce system and Dustin Thomas makes his way out to the ring. JB notes that Shane Thomas isn’t here with his brother tonight, and speculates about how far Shane will go in the World’s Strongest Man competition. Living Colour’s "Cult of Personality" follows this up, and the crowd pops for Jaime Alejandro. Tom chimes in that Jaime should take a cue from Spaz and wrap up his retirement tour before he embarrasses himself anymore. Alejandro takes control of the match at the beginning due to his superior size and strength. Dustin finds his footing though and eventually the two men are exchanging moves in an even match. Dustin gains the advantage and dumps Jaime to the outside, then heads to the top rope. He launches off with a Fireball (450 splash), but Jaime dives out of the way at the last second. The referee begins to count both men out. At the count of five, Jaime rolls back into the ring. Dustin begins to stir and starts to fish underneath the ring. He pulls out a steel chair and climbs onto the ring apron at the count of nine, then tries to step into the ring with the chair. The referee breaks the ten count and tries to grab the chair from Dustin, but Dustin struggles with him. While the ref is distracted, and in turn Jaime is distracted by what’s going on, "The Alpha" Shane Thomas runs in from the crowd, slides into the ring. He grabs Jaime from behind and drills him with the Alphalock Slam (Full Nelson Slam), then bails from the ring. Dustin drops the chair and immediately flies over to Jaime and makes the cover. The referee is confused, but he can’t delay counting the fall. He slides down and Dustin picks up the win. Shane slides back into the ring and raises his brothers arm in the air as Tom yammers on in excitement about the return of the Old School Empire.

[Time – 6:41]

Backstage – Mike Stryker walks the halls, and the main event is next!

[Time – 0:20]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Hush w/ Essex & Mike Lane vs. Mike Stryker - Tool’s "Hush" hits the speakers and the 6’11” masked monster known as Hush is led out to the ring by his devious manager Aleister Essex. Mike Lane’s music hits next, and the movie star comes out to the ring this time in his ring gear, but didn’t lose his sunglasses. The crowd jeers as Lane exchanges some words with Essex, perhaps about how Lane will co-exist with Hush. Finally, Stryker’s music hits the speakers again and he receives a big pop for the second time tonight. “The Big City Hitman” makes his way down to the ring and doesn’t even wait for the referee to ring the bell as he jumps Lane right away. The referee rings the bell as Stryker hammers away on Lane. Hush intervenes and pulls Stryker off, whips him across the ring, and silences him with a big boot. This gives Lane the chance to roll to the apron and the referee acts as if Hush is the legal man. JB puts over the storied history between Stryker and Hush and how Stryker has found a way to beat the big man multiple times in the past. Stryker holds his own for a short while, but eventually the big man takes control of the match with a series of power moves and rest holds. Stryker doesn’t give up, but he has no one in his corner to tag out to. Tom reminds us that this was Stryker’s own choice, and wonders if this is Stryker’s way of punishing himself because if it wasn’t for Stryker’s past actions, the NAFW wouldn’t have gone out of business in the first place. Eventually, Stryker walks into Hush’s move Echoes in Eternity (Black Hole Slam), and that could be the end of the match. However Mike Lane makes a blind tag and Hush does not seem happy about that after he just did all that work. Essex is infuriated and tells Lane to have his spotlight because everyone knows who really did the damage.

Hush and Essex head to the back as Lane taunts Stryker, who is struggling to get up. Stryker uses the ropes to pull himself up. As he turns around, Lane flies in with his finishing maneuver the Shadow Kick (Super Kick), but Stryker ducks and sweeps Lane’s leg! Stryker immediately grabs Lane’s legs and goes for the New York Cloverleaf (Texas Cloverleaf). “The Big City Hitman” locks in his submission finisher to a huge pop and Lane struggles to get out. Having not sustained any damage, Mike Lane is able to power out after a few moments, and flings Stryker into the ropes. As Stryker gets up to turn around, Lane springs up and pops him with another Shadow Kick that actually connects. “Mr. Old School Hollywood” hooks the leg for the three count. Lane celebrates like he just won that match all on his own, despite nearly losing it. He grabs his sunglasses and puts them back on, then taunts the downed Stryker by motioning for the world title belt. Lane drags Stryker back up and props him against the corner.

As Mike Lane signals for another Shadow Kick, Spineshank’s "Fallback" interrupts Lane’s post-match activities and the crowd pops with a frenzy as “The Difference Maker” Keith Owens appears on the stage. Lane is in shock as well since no one has seen or heard from Owens since Oblivion was over. Owens sprints down to the ring and he and Lane begin trading blows. Keith nails Lane with a hard knee in the gut, doubling the movie star over. Owens calls for the Difference Maker (Twitst of Fate) and delivers it to the delight of the crowd. Versus executive Phil Raines sprints out from backstage and rolls Lane out of the ring before anything further can happen to him. Owens takes a look back at Stryker who is still trying to figure out what happened, but then refocuses his attention on Lane and Raines as he climbs the turnbuckle and points at them. With the chaos seemingly over, the show’s time is up and JB reminds us to tune in next week.

[Time – 10:47]

Quote

Quick Results:
Andy D d. Mike Castleberry via pin fall
Dustin Thomas d. Jaime Alejandro via pin fall
Hush & Mike Lane d. Mike Stryker via pin fall
Total tape time: 45:34

[KO Dave]

THE BREAKDOWN

Show: Annihilation
Length: 1 Hour
Network: Versus
Time: Wednesday @ 11 PM

Venue: The NAFW Arena
Location: New York City
Maximum Capacity: ~3,000


Personnel:

NAFW Owner: Hector Gonzales
Versus Executive: Phil Raines
Annihilation Commentators:
JB Mann
Tom “Bear” Kalhoun
Interviewers:
Amie Carmichael
Kramer
Ring Announcer: Troy Gilmore
TheNAFW.Com Editor: Kramer

Roster:

Ammo
Real Name: Dean Powell
D.O.B.: 5/23/1977
Height: 6'9”
Weight: 361 lbs.
Hometown: London, Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Three Days Grace - "Riot"
Finisher: Breakdown -  Sit-out One-Handed Chokeslam
Signature Moves:
Lock and Load - Jacknife Powerbomb
Crossfire - Quick series of punches with opponent pinned to the ground or corner
Ammo Dump - Pumphandle to Front Slam
Shootout - Elevated Crab

Andy D
D.O.B.: 9/15/1986
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 197 lbs.
Hometown: Ipswitch, United Kingdom
Entrnace Music: Jay Gordon - "Keep Yourself Alive II"
Finisher: Dragon's Bite - Shining Wizard Knee Kick
Signature Moves:
Tornado DDT
Dragon Screw
Drop Kick
Neckbreaker

Dustin Thomas
D.O.B.: 5/18/1986
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Entrnace Music: Lil Wayne - "Fireman"
Finisher: The Executor - Top Rope Canadian Destroyer
Signature Moves:
Fireball - 450 Splash
New School - A standing Buff Blockbuster
Osaka Street Cutter
Frankensteiner

Hush
Managed by: Aleister Essex
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 326 lbs.
Hometown: Parts Unknown
Entrance Music: Tool - "Hush"
Finisher: Echoes in Eternity - Black Hole Slam
Signature Moves:
The Deafening Silence - Canadian Backbreaker to DDT
The Curb Stomp
Freedom Is A Choice - Sleeper using opponent's arm to choke themselves
Avalanche Clothesline

Jaime Alejandro
Nickname: The Saint
D.O.B.: 2/7/1978
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 260 lbs.
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Entrance Music: Living Colour - "Cult of Personality"
Finisher: Crimson Revolver - Inverted Angle Slam
Signature Moves:
Counter Strike - Half Hatch Suplex Hold
Boot Camp - British Figure Four aka Trailer Hitch
50 Cal. Kick - Running Corner Yakuza Kick
Mounted Front Guard and Punches

Keith Owens
Nickname: The Difference Maker
D.O.B.: 11/14/1984
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 223 lbs.
Hometown: Springfield, Illinois
Entrance Music: Spineshank - "Fallback"
Finisher: The Difference Maker - Twist of Fate
Signature Moves:
Don't Try This At Home - Shooting Star Press
Asian Mist
Springboard Jumping Heel Kick
Armbar

Mike Castleberry
Nickname: Creeping Death
D.O.B.: 7/11/1980
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 230 lbs.
Hometown: San Diego, California
Entrance Music: Megadeth - "Die Dead Enough"
Finisher: Last Breath - The springboard motion of Sliced Bread #2 into a Backcracker
Signature Moves:
The Blackout - A flipping top rope guillitine leg drop off the top rope
Tiger Suplex
Powerbomb/DDT combo

Mike Lane
Nickname: Mr. Old School Hollywood
D.O.B.: 6/6/1968
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 280 lbs.
Hometown: Kingsport, Tennessee
Billed From: Hollywood, California
Entrance Music: Jane's Addiction - "Superhero"
Finisher: Shadow Kick - Superkick to the chest
Signature Moves:
Phoenix Rising - Opponent on top rope, run the ropes, arm drag into Christian-style reverse DDT
The Chaotix - Downward spiral, throws in the air by legs, flips around and reverse Rock Bottom
Old School - Figure Four Leglock
Rising Knee Lift

Mike Stryker
Nickname: The Big City Hitman
D.O.B.: 2/9/1975
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 226 lbs.
Hometown: New York, New York
Entrance Music: Eminem - "Til I Collapse"
Finisher: New York Cloverleaf - A texas cloverleaf variation where it's turned halfway and Strkyer kneels to pressure the spine
Signature Moves:
Paradigm Shift - 3 rolling piledrivers
Suplexes
Submissions
Powerbomb

Shane Thomas
Nickname: The Alpha
D.O.B.: 4/25/1980
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 280 lbs.
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Entrance Music: Lil Wayne - "Fireman"
Finisher: The Alphalock - Full Nelson Submission
Signature Moves:
Alphalock Slam - Full Nelson Slam
The Alpha Manuever - A gorilla press slam into piledriver
Spinebuster
Swinging Neckbreaker

Slush
Real Name: Bryan Francis
D.O.B.: 7/12/1975
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 243 lbs.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Three Days Grace - "Riot"
Finisher: Melting Point - Twisting Moonsault
Signature Moves:
Judgement Call - Famouser
Ice Breaker - Flying Back Elbow
Liquify - Fireman's carry, spun into sitting front slam
Nutcracker - Low Blow

Snake
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Entrance Music: Whitesnake - "Good To Be Bad"
Finisher: Venom Sting - RKO
Signature Moves:
Poison Drop - Inverted Spinning Neckbreaker
Snake Eyes
Cobra Clutch
Guillotine Choke

Spaz [Retired]
Real Name: Sean Thomas
Managed by: Twitch
D.O.B.: 1/15/1978
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 202 lbs.
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Daughtry - "There and Back Again"
Finisher: Sugar Rush - Flatliner
Signature Moves:
Spaz Out - Jump Swinging Reverse DDT
Sweets Kick - Spinning Heel Kick
Sweetsault - Moonsault
Sweet Revenge - Seats opponent on top turnbuckle, springs off of ropes hitting a Diamond Cutter type neckbreaker

Tyrone Smith
Formerly known as: Crazy Boy
D.O.B.: 12/4/1980
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Hometown: Biloxi, Mississippi
Entrance Music: Atreyu - "Lip Gloss and Black"
Finisher: Ruthless Aggression - GTS
Signature Moves:
Crazy Slam - Falcon Arrow
Crazy Drop - Missle Dropkick
Crazy Spin - 720 Senton Bomb
Crazy Hold - Double leg Boston crab

Tag Teams:

Old School Empire
Members: Dustin Thomas and Shane Thomas
Combined Weight: 505 lbs.
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Entrance Music: Lil Wayne - "Fireman"
Finisher: Alpha Class - Shane picks the opponent up into a military press, except the opponent is facing the sky. Dustin comes off the top rope, just as Shane drops them, bringing the opponent to the mat with a neckbreaker

The Goods
Members: Slush and Ammo
Combined Weight: 604 lbs.
Hometown: Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Three Days Grace - "Riot"
Finisher: Crash On Delivery (C.O.D.) - Ammo's Breakdown followed by Slush's Melting Point

[KO Dave]

NAFWInsider.com premium news has the following bits about the NAFW:

- The early overnight rating is in for Annihilation's redebut on Versus and it scored a 0.73 rating overall. Versus and the NAFW are satisfied with that initial number considering the time slot, the limited number of homes that get Versus, and the relative lack of announcements or advertisements for the show.

- While nothing was advertised in advance for the first taping, the main event for the next taping has been announced on TheNAFW.Com. In a twist from last week, Hector Gonzales has booked Mike Stryker and Keith Owens to face Mike Lane and a partner of Hector's choosing. Also speculated on by TheNAFW.Com includes why Snake is still targeting Andy D, who else will join the NAFW, and the statuses of the various championship belts that belong to the Foundation.

- Apparently Mike Stryker lashed out at fans following the end of the first taping. As he was trying to leave the NAFW Arena, fans were waiting for him and wanted to know why he's "taking shit" from Phil Raines. Stryker barked at them that sometimes you've got to do things you don't want to feed your family. It has been confirmed by an unnamed backstage source that Stryker and Lane are the only ones under contracts funded by Versus directly. That means Hector Gonzales could choose to not use them on the air, but he couldn't really fire them. Its unlikely he'd try to pull either of them from the show considering the delicate relationship the NAFW has with the Versus network.

- Keith Owens reportedly arrived at the arena just minutes before he ran out to save Mike Stryker, then left the arena shortly thereafter. Backstage and in the parking lot, he was flanked by his own private security, from the same security company that guards Melissa Hayes' hospital room in Chicago. It appears that there is still some kind of threat nearly a year after Owens accused Trevor Cunning as being the one behind the stalker-ish letters Owens was receiving.

- Many on the internet have already come to the conclusion that Trevor Cunning will indeed be Mike Lane's partner, especially after Spaz spoke of "second chances" on Annihilation. However, it is rumored that Owens has a restraining order against Cunning that goes as far as to prohibit the NAFW from rehiring him.

- Some fans were caught off guard by Spaz's retirement on the redebut of Annihilation. The Hall of Famer asked for the opportunity to officially close the book on his in ring career, a move he told friends he would have made at Oblivion if he knew how things were going to play out afterward. It is up for speculation about whether Spaz will have any involvement in the latest incarnation of the NAFW, backstage or in front of the camera managing The Goods or someone else. Over the past year, Spaz has enjoyed his leisure time at his simple home in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and frequently blogs about both American Idol and Canadian Idol. It doesn't seem like he'd have an interest in making the eight hour car commute every weekend, nor would he be interested in paying his own airfare every week from Toronto to New York. His manager Twitch's future is up in the air as well.

- And finally, former NAFW superstar Scott Rocker had this to say on his Twitter account following Annihilation: "Wut da fuk, NAFW is back & no 1 told me, I want action." Rex Michael's Facebook account had this vague status update: "Roundin' up the gang." Take that for what you will...

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #2
Only on Versus

Intro – The show opens with a montage of famous NAFW clips over the years as the opening to Silversun Pickups' “Panic Switch” plays us in. The clip montage finishes with some more recent clips, then the camera fades in to the new stage at the NAFW Arena in New York City. Laser lights, smoke, and some small sparkler pyrotechnics go off below the new, smaller, NAFWtron. The camera pans to various crowd shots. JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun welcome us to the second new episode of Annihilation on Versus.

[Time – 2:00]

In the Ring – Keith Owens’ music hits, and the last man to accomplish the NAFW Grand Slam makes his way down to the ring to a nice ovation by the crowd. Keith is tossed a microphone by a ring hand, but can’t begin talking until the crowd settles down. Once on the mic, Owens thanks the crowd for their reaction, and says it’s great the NAFW is back, and its great to be back in the NAFW. He opens up and says that the past couple of years of his life have been nerve racking with some stalker after him, betrayal by his best friend, and girlfriend Melissa Hayes lying in a coma, but wrestling is in his blood and he had to be back in the NAFW, even if he has to be driven here by special security.

“The Difference Maker” reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. He tells the crowd this is his “wish” from last year’s Three Wishes match, a wish he threatened to use at Oblivion if Mike Lane won the title. Keith says he heard what Hector Gonzales and Phil Raines had to say last week about Mike Lane being the star of the NAFW, but he begs to differ. With that, Owens announces he wants to use his wish next week to challenge the last Foundation Heavyweight Champion, Mike Stryker, with the winner becoming the new world champion. The crowd pops for this idea, but some generic rock music interrupts the cheering.

Out walks Versus executive Phil Raines, followed by NAFW owner Hector Gonzales, followed by a chorus of boos. The two men enter the ring, microphones in hand. Raines speaks first and tells Owens that he doesn’t appreciate what Owens did to his handpicked star of Annihilation last week. Keith asks what Raines plans on doing about it, seeing how Keith isn’t under contract with Versus. This is where Hector steps in and tells Keith to calm down, because contrary to his belief, things don’t always go “The Difference Maker’s” way. The boss man says that Keith’s “wish” for a title match next week is… denied!. This draws heat from the fans, but Hector continues. He says he’s got other plans for the Foundation Heavyweight Championship – the return of the Ultimate Showdown tournament, with the winner becoming the new champion! This gets a favorable reaction from the crowd, until Hector continues talking.

Hector says the tournament won’t be for a few weeks, and as of tonight, Keith has bigger things to worry about. He says tonight’s main event pits Keith and Mike Stryker against Mike Lane and a partner of Hector’s choosing. Hector says last week, Raines handpicked Lane to be the star of this show, but Hector has his eye on someone else. Raines appears taken aback, but the owner doesn’t care. A camera man enters the ring to get some close ups as Keith says to lay it on him. Hector begins laughing with his deep Texan accent, and Owens asks Hector whats so funny. He tells Keith to look to his right. As Owens turns, the camera man drops his camera and nails Keith with a stiff right hand to the jaw, knocking Keith out cold. The camera man removes his hat and a fake beard, revealing himself to be “The Born Warrior” Ashley Collier!

The crowd boos the shit out of Collier as he kneels down in the face of Owens, taunting his foe. He gets up shortly thereafter and shakes hands with Hector Gonzales as we go to commercial.

[Time – 9:37]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Tyrone Smith vs. Dustin Thomas – We come back from commercial with Tyrone Smith already in the ring, but the announcers yammering on about Collier. Dustin Thomas’ music hits and he emerges from behind the curtain with his brother “The Alpha” Shane Thomas to jeers from the crowd. Tom nearly creams himself on commentary talking about the awesomeness of the Old School Empire. The referee rings the bell and the match gets underway. Tyrone looks sharp in the beginning, staying one step ahead of Dustin. This is where Shane comes into play, tripping up Tyrone multiple times, allowing his brother to gain the advantage. Dustin gets a couple of near falls thanks to the distraction, but none of them seal the deal. Out of no where, Tyrone hoists up Dustin for the Ruthless Aggression (GTS), but Shane jumps up on the apron. This distracts the referee and Tyrone, who loses his hold on Dustin. Dustin wiggles out and drops Tyrone with a modified New School (Buff Blockbuster). The more agile of the Thomas brothers heads to the top rope and waits for Tyrone to get up to his feet. As soon as Tyrone turns, Dustin leaps over him and hits The Executor (Top Rope Canadian Destroyer). He hooks the leg and gets the easy three count.

Post match, Dustin and Shane celebrate in the ring until Jaime Alejandro runs out, looking for a measure of revenge from last week. He starts throwing haymakers at Shane, but Dustin spins Jaime around and throws some punches of his own. This allows Shane grab Jaime from behind and nail him with the Alphalock Slam (Full Nelson Slam). OSE poses in the ring, victorious.

[Time – 7:21]

Backstage – Andy D is walking around, and runs into The Goods, Slush and Ammo, along with Twitch. He asks them if they’ve seen Snake anywhere, and they say no. Andy D thanks them then walks off. The camera stays with the Goods and Twitch. Twitch asks Flush and Jumbo (his Twitch-Names for Slush and Ammo) what he’s going to do without Spaz to manage. Slush says that The Goods are probably okay for the time being, but maybe Twitch should look around for a new client. The light bulb in Twitch’s brain goes off and he says that’s a great idea, and that he’s glad he thought of that himself. The Goods look at each other and roll their eyes as JB and Tom groan on commentary.

[Time – 1:44]

COMMERCIAL

Backstage – We come back from commercial and Andy D is looking outside of NAFW Arena doors at the parking lot, trying to find Snake. Scott Rocker, Rex Michaels, their manager Gillian Narcotica-Ruiz (GNR), and their body guards John Brick and Casey Mortar (Brick and Mortar) approach the door. Scott Rocker demands to know why a God of Rock such as himself wasn’t re-hired by the NAFW. Andy D says he doesn’t have a bloody clue because he doesn’t work for the front office. He then asks them if they’ve seen Snake out there, and Rex tells him nope. Frustrated, Andy D turns around and goes back to the arena. Rocker tries to grab the door to get in, but it slams shut before they can get in. From the outside we can hear Rocker throw a hissy fit over being not re-hired and being locked out.

[Time – 1:15]

Backstage – Ashley Collier is in a locker room taping his fists up when Mike Lane walks in. Lane whips off his sunglasses and he and Collier stand nose to nose. Lane says he doesn’t want to make this some kind of pissing contest, but he just wants to make sure Collier knows to follow Lane’s lead out there tonight because he needs to be the one to take out Owens and Stryker. Collier smirks and scoffs at that idea. Lane runs him down for getting his ass kicked by Jaime Alejandro the last time Collier showed his face around here. Collier says that’s in the past and tonight is a new beginning. Collier asks Lane if he knows what the difference between the two of them is. Before “Mr. Old School Hollywood” can answer, Collier tells Lane that he may have played a boxer in a movie, but Collier is a real boxer and will knock Lane out if he gets in his way, sort of like Owens did last week, and like he did to Owens tonight. Collier throws a non-serious punch and pulls it at the last second, but Lane doesn’t even flinch. As the announcers tease dissention in the team, we cut away.

[Time – 2:05]

Match: Frankie the Hamster vs. Hush w/ Essex – Frankie the Hamster, a man in a full body hamster costume, makes his way to the ring to his own song, the "Good Morals Song." JB reminds us that Frankie the Hamster’s children’s show was cancelled, but Frankie is also a trained wrestler and was part of the NAFW’s “Can You Handle It?” training camp many years ago. Frankie slaps hands with kids in the front row and tries to enter the ring, but his oversized costume gets stuck between the ropes and the referee has to assist him in getting through. Shortly after, Hush makes his entrance with manager Aleister Essex. The monster enters the ring and Essex tells him to destroy his idiot opponent. Tom is happy as he draws the conclusion that Frankie is screwed. Sure enough, Tom is on the money. Hush comes out of the gates firing away with left and rights. He whips Frankie into the ropes and gives him a big boot. Frankie crawls to the corner and pulls himself up, but he’s met with an avalanche clothesline from Hush. Frankie stumbles out of the corner and right into Echoes in Eternity (Black Hole Slam). Hush presses down on the chest of Frankie and the referee makes the easy three count. Essex immediately gets into the ring with a microphone and says that he hopes Tyrone Smith was paying attention, because this is what happens to insignificant peons who will never be more than jokes and frauds.

[Time – 3:17]

COMMERCIAL

Backstage – We come back to commercial to find Kramer standing by with Keith Owens, who has an ice pack on his jaw. Kramer asks Owens why he saved Mike Stryker last week. Owens clarifies and says he didn’t save Stryker, he came out there to make his mark on the company again. He reminds us that he’d cash in his “wish” against Stryker, for the title, if he could, but he’ll have to wait for the Ultimate Showdown tournament now. Kramer asks how he’ll co-exist with Mike Stryker in the main event tonight. Owens starts by saying that he’s done a lot of bad things in the past that he’s still paying for now, and Stryker is in the same situation, so he can sort of relate to the man. But Owens’ tone changes when he says Stryker made his bed and now he can sleep in it, even if it means he has to be a corporate stooge. At this point, Mike Stryker walks into the shot and he and Owens engage in a stare down, then Stryker walks off without saying a word, and we fade out.

[Time – 2:57]

Match: Mike Castleberry vs. Andy D – Mike Castleberry makes his way to the ring, and JB reminds us how bitter Castleberry was last week before he lost to Andy D. Andy D’s music hits and he walks down to the ring, slapping hands with fans. Out of the crowd, Snake jumps the barrier, drilling Andy D with another Venom Sting (RKO) along the way. Snake hisses at the fans as he creeps to the back. Castleberry tells the referee to ring the bell and to start counting out Andy D. The ref doesn’t have much of a choice, and begins to do so. Half-way through the count, Mike Castleberry changes his mind, leaves the ring, goes to the bottom of the ramp where Andy D lays, and drags him back into the ring. He rolls Andy D onto his back and makes the pin cover. The ref reluctantly makes the three count, and “Creeping Death” racks up his first win in the new NAFW.

As Castleberry celebrates like he just won the lottery, the lights go out in the arena. A spotlight shines on Castleberry, and then a moment later, another spotlight comes on, pointing up into the rafters of the NAFW Arena. A person in a trench coat can be seen staring down at Castleberry. Castleberry looks confused. The lights go out again, then the normal lighting is restored a moment later, and the person in the rafters is gone. A very confused Castleberry scurries to the back.

[Time – 3:31]

Video – We get a video segment, introducing us to a new wrestler named Jason Cano. We see clips of him training in an old ring in a dank gym with a middle aged wrestler past his prime. Cano pulls off an impressive array of amateur moves, including some throws, carries, submissions, and pinning combinations. At the end of the clip, he stands before the camera and tells us there’s something more to him than meets the eye.

[Time – 1:30]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Ashley Collier & Mike Lane vs. Keith Owens & Mike Stryker – We get a quick video recap narrated by JB about last week’s match with Hush dominating Stryker, followed by Lane stealing the pin, then Owens’ return that saved Stryker from a Shadow Kick and laid out Lane with a Difference Maker. He then recaps tonight’s opening segment, with Collier in disguise as a camera man and nailing Owens with the Knocked The Fuck Out punch.

Then all four men make their respective entrances, and there is a big four way stare down in the ring. The announcers wonder who will be able to trust who out there tonight. Stryker and Collier start out the match, exchanging holds. Collier goes for the Knocked The Fuck Out early, but Stryker ducks and shoots Collier down, looking for the New York Cloverleaf (Texas Cloverleaf). Collier escapes quickly and tags out to Lane, and Stryker tells Lane to bring it. The two go at it pretty even handed, but Collier and Lane work some frequent tags to keep themselves fresh, and Stryker can never really get the advantage over either of them. Stryker is taken to the brink by both Lane’s Old School (Figure Four) and Collier’s Warrior Crossface (Crippler Crossface), but he doesn’t tap out to either. Finally Stryker is able to hit a desperation low blow that the referee doesn’t see, and makes the diving hot tag to Owens. Cue the crowd pop, and Owens cleaning house. At this point, Lane is the legal man and the two of them exchange blows, with Lane looking for retribution for the Difference Maker that Owens gave him last week. Lane takes Owens down with a spinebuster near Owens’ corner and stalks him for the Shadow Kick. As Owens gets up, Lane fires his kick, but Owens ducks and the Shadow Kick nails Stryker on the apron! Stryker goes flying to the floor below. Owens tries to make the best of the situation by Irish whipping Lane into the ropes, but Lane reverses. On the reversal, Collier knees Owens in the back as Owens hits the ropes. Keith turns around to confront Collier, but he’s caught by a Knocked The Fuck Out punch from the apron! Owens collapses and Lane confronts Collier, saying that he was about to nail Owens with the Shadow Kick. Collier takes this as an opportunity to tag himself in, and he immediately covers Owens. The referee makes the three count and Lane isn’t pleased as he looks on. JB calls Lane a hypocrite after what he did to Hush last week.

Lane and Collier engage in a light shoving match, instead of the referee raising their arms in victory. Collier rethinks the situation against a man bigger than himself, and appears to reason with Lane as he drags up Owens. He seems to be telling Lane to go ahead and nail Owens with a Shadow Kick to call it even. Lane agrees, but as he positions himself to kick Owens, Stryker jumps back on the apron to the delight of the crowd. Collier gives Lane the heads up, and Lane fires a Shadow Kick Stryker’s way. This time it misses when Stryker jumps off the apron to avoid it, but Lane immediately turns back around and Shadow Kicks Keith like he originally intended to, all while Stryker looks on. Collier and Lane nod to each other, apparently squaring away any tension for now, and the show ends with the focus on the dominate heels.

[Time – 11:13]

Quote

Quick Results:
Dustin Thomas d. Tyrone Smith via pin fall
Hush d. Frankie the Hamster via pin fall
Mike Castleberry d. Andy D via pin fall
Ashley Collier & Mike Lane d. Keith Owens & Mike Stryker via pin fall
Total tape time: 46:30

[KO Dave]

Dan Meltzer from the NAFWobserver.com sent out the following in a special “Where Are They Now?” newsletter:

- As seen on the last episode of Annihilation, Scott Rocker, Rex Michaels, and the tag team of Brick and Mortar are all looking for work within the NAFW. The group’s collective actions at Oblivion (breaking a guitar over the head of Fred Durst and Dane Cook) cost the company a lot of additional money, and the group’s talent is nothing to write home about either. Chances are they won’t find what they’re looking for.

- Apparently former NAFW wrestler Xavier Caine joined Star Fleet. Caine did not find much success in the NAFW, as he lost to the mysterious man named Sorrow, and was on the bottom of the heap in his feud against Peter Gilmour, Snake, and Andy D over the Atlantic Championship. He currently serves as a Tactical Officer aboard the USS Copernicus. It is believed that former wrestler and businessman Charles “Tharodund” Johnson financed Xavier Caine’s Star Fleet schooling. Sources: Here and here.

- As reported earlier, the NAFW simply could not afford to re-sign former NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion “The Reaper” Leonard Aarons. Aarons is especially a popular draw with the African-American demographic, but the two sides could not reach a middle ground when negotiating contract prices.

- Many have wondered where NAFW Hall of Famer “The Judge” James Batty is. The best anyone can tell, the Judge returned as a way to help hype the Hall of Fame last year. However, most were disappointed in the way his feud with Derek Clarke played out. With a limited budget and a need to look toward the future, Hector Gonzales had no interest in attempting to re-sign The Judge.

- Hector reportedly did not re-sign Derek Clarke for another reason: He wasn’t worth the hassle. Hector felt he had enough explosive personalities re-signed, and he did not need to deal with Derek’s ego right now. Derek reportedly told many backstage that he felt he’d be next in line for a Foundation Heavyweight title shot after defeating The Judge, but those dreams were quashed when the company folded right after Oblivion. It is unknown if his uncle James “Cougar” Clarke is still with the organization in a front office or backstage role.

- The “X-Treme Icon” and “Human Killer” Peter Gilmour also wasn’t contacted for a return. Agents backstage were satisfied with his work in the ring, but with only an hour of air time to spare, they did not think there would be a good spot for Gilmour on the roster. They’d rather let him work his extreme style in a number of hardcore companies, and if he improves and the timing is right down the road, the company may bring him back.

- Tyrone Smith’s brother Tommy “Psycho” Smith was not asked back to the company either. The feeling was that he was young and had a lot to learn about the business, including dedication. Depending on where Tyrone’s career takes him, they may bring Tommy back to tag team with his brother. The third brother, Carlos Smith, is apparently done with wrestling completely.

- There were rumors floating around backstage at the last taping that “The Intruder” Matthew Kurresh, his half brother Dwayne Bishop, Kyle Cole, and the tag team Cruel Intentions may all be asked back to the company. Phil Raines wants something to draw in fans from the years past and feels those names could seriously supplement the roster. There is no word on how Hector feels about those names, if the NAFW could even afford to re-sign them, or if they have any interest in even returning to the company. “The Word” David Kurresh is not even being discussed. He hung up his boots after “passing the torch” to Keith Owens at Oblivion 2005, and is focused on raising his son, named Cole.

- Former NAFW champion “Faithless” Simon Synn is not being considered for another run in the company at this time either. It is believed he has no interest in returning, and management is still sour about how past negotiations with him went. Furthermore, his injuries from the car crash that took him out of action years ago appear to be too big of a liability.

- Despite being inducted into the NAFW Hall of Fame, few in the business have seen or heard from former champion “Griever” Tyler Hyatt, or his son “Demonfire” Kevin Hyatt. It has been nearly four years since the father-son duo dropped off the radar of the wrestling industry. Ken Harris, a trainee of Tyler Hyatt, was believed to have some contact with him, but as of last Oblivion, he had nothing substantive to report of Griever’s whereabouts. At a fan convention recently, Harris’ tag team partner in the NAFW, Troy Clark, did not even know where Harris was these days.

- Former NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion TomWorth toyed with the idea of a return for a while and was even in negotiations with the company prior to the re-debut on Versus. TomWorth’s marriage recovered after the allegations that he was cheating on her with tag team partner Crystall Vassall. TomWorth, however, is satisfied running a boxing gym with Hector’s nephew Jake Walker, who was paralyzed during his time as a wrestler in the NAFW. Vassall, the daughter of Paul Colard, was last seen in Canada doing additional training, hoping to catch a break with a bigger national organization.

- Big man Sebastian Hawke, at one time seen as the future of the NAFW, is apparently trying his hand at MMA these days. He was trained to be a pro-wrestler by Jeremy Lewis, a man who was at one time one of the brightest stars out of the Illinois Valley Wrestling organization. Lewis stalled out over the course of his NAFW career as a mid-carder, and looked to ride Hawke to the top of the NAFW. After a suggested angle where Lewis would be Hawke’s owner (as in, slave owner), Lewis was let go by the NAFW.

- The Summers brothers, Sean and Steve, are no longer active in the business. Sean Summers left the wrestling ring for the seminary many years ago and is still a priest. Steve went on to have a successful mid-card singles run, but instead of rising to the top of the Foundation, instead he petered out. Steve tried his hand at minor league baseball, but does not appear to have gone very far in that.

- Perhaps the biggest question on everyone’s mind is what is the status of Paul Colard? Paul Colard’s only dream was to be Foundation Heavyweight Champion, and it is a dream Colard never accomplished. Many were concerned about Colard’s mental and physical health before he finally stepped away from the ring because of his obsession over the strap. Eventually Colard came to terms with his many accomplishments as they were and opened his own training school that runs shows on the weekends. Much like TomWorth, he seems contempt with where he is at now.

[KO Dave]

5grappling.org reports the following:

- TheNAFW.Com has announced the main event for the next taping of Annihilation will be “The Difference Maker” Keith Owens versus “Mr. Old School Hollywood” Mike Lane. This is notable because the last time these two faced off one on one was at the Pay Per View “Revolution” in 2006, the last event of the “Atlantic” era of the NAFW before the company first shut its doors. In an interesting twist, at that time, Keith Owens was the number one heel in the company, and Mike Lane was the top face.

- Also announced for the next Annihilation is The Old School Empire, Dustin Thomas and “The Alpha” Shane Thomas, versus Jaime Alejandro and Tyrone Smith.

- No exact date for the beginning of the Ultimate Showdown tournament has been announced, but its format is expected to run over several Annihilations and include a large number of wrestlers on the roster. There is a small possibility that Versus may give the NAFW an extra hour and make the finals of the Ultimate Showdown tournament a "super card."

- Dan Meltzer’s “Where Are They Now” newsletter that was published several days ago appears to have ruffled several feathers within the industry. Some former NAFW superstars are upset after reading about how they were not wanted back. So far Meltzer has not revealed any of his sources for that newsletter, so take it for what that’s worth.

- Some have questioned the decision to bring Frankie the Hamster into the company when so many other names could have been called back, but the agents backstage apparently have something in store for the former children’s television star.

- The rating for the second Annihilation is in, and it scored a 0.81. This is an increase over the debut’s 0.73 rating, so officials for both Versus and the NAFW are happy.

- Attendance at the second taping was almost 2,000 people, about the same number that the debut drew. Apparently volunteers are all over Times Square on taping days handing out free tickets to the show. New York is also a very good wrestling market and the NAFW has long standing ties to the area, so it’s not hard to get the “marks” to come out and support the brand.

- Versus is looking to produce a major motion picture based around Mixed Martial Arts with a similar storyline like “The Wrestler.” Phil Raines is considering various scripts out of Hollywood, and Mike Lane will star once he gives his approval on one of them.

- Finally, the return of Ashley Collier surprised many. Everyone knows he’s a long time favorite of Hector Gonzales and holds wins over names like The Intruder, but after his last run against Sebastian Hawke and Jaime Alejandro, officials were less than impressed with him. Not to mention, he’s been described as a “cancer” to the positive atmosphere in the locker room.

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #3
Only on Versus

Intro – The show opens with a montage of famous NAFW clips over the years as the opening to Silversun Pickups' “Panic Switch” plays us in. The clip montage finishes with some more recent clips, then the camera fades in to the new stage at the NAFW Arena in New York City. Laser lights, smoke, and some small sparkler pyrotechnics go off below the new, smaller, NAFWtron. The camera pans to various crowd shots. JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun welcome us to the third new episode of Annihilation on Versus.

[Time – 2:00]

Match: Jaime Alejandro & Tyrone Smith vs. Old School Empire (Dustin Thomas & “The Alpha” Shane Thomas) – We kick things off with Jaime Alejandro and Tyrone Smith making their own respective entrances as JB reminds us how both men have their own beef with OSE. Old School Empire’s music hits, and Dustin Thomas walks out in his ring gear, but “The Alpha” Shane Thomas isn’t dressed to compete. The two walk down to the bottom of the ramp, but go no further as Jaime and Tyrone are in the ring. Shane gets on the mic and announces that because of his intense training for the World’s Strongest Man competition, he cannot risk injury in this next match. JB cries foul over his headset because Shane’s had no problem dealing out Alphalock Slams. Shane continues on that he has found a substitute for tonight though, so the match can go on as planned. With that, Hush’s music hits and the monster Hush with his handler Aleister Essex walk down to the ring. Jaime and Tyrone talk this over in the ring and they appear to want to compete. Dustin and Essex talk things over on the outside, and then OSE walk over to the announce desk to provide guest commentary.

Match Update: Jaime Alejandro & Tyrone Smith vs. Dustin Thomas & Hush w/ Aleister Essex – Hush starts off this match against Jaime Alejandro. Dustin isn’t even on the apron as he and Shane have sat down to provide guest commentary. OSE spend most of their time at the booth putting themselves over, and Shane really hams up how he can’t risk injury in the ring right now. In the ring, Hush takes it to Jaime hard, but Jaime is able to hang in there for a while. Eventually the aging former Foundation Heavyweight Champion has to tag out after he tires out, and Hush welcomes this because he gets his hands on Tyrone. Tyrone gives 110% against Hush, but the big man always keeps the advantage. As Tyrone looks to tag back out, Dustin mentions he’s got a hot date tonight so he needs to wrap this up. He leaves the booth and hops onto the apron in the corner of his opponents. He springboards himself off the top rope and floats over Jaime, grabbing him on the way down, and hitting him with the Executor (Canadian Destroyer). With no one for Tyrone to tag out to, he falls victim to Echoes in Eternity (Black Hole Slam), and Hush picks up the win.

Post match, we get replays of the crazy Executor and Echoes in Eternity as OSE celebrate on the outside, while Essex talks smack to Tyrone on the inside of the ring. EMTs run down to check on Jaime Alejandro after that sick bump to the floor.

[Time – 7:43]

Video – We get another video segment introducing us to Jason Cano. We see more shots of him doing his training, and it consists of a lot of amateur wrestling, as well as mixed martial arts. He keeps his training partners in close and there rarely is any separation between them in the ring. At the end of the montage we’re introduced Cano’s manager, William Murdoch. Murdoch talks about how the first time he saw Jason, he was getting his ass kicked in some ring in some dive-bar. He said the kid looked like he had all the tools, but just needed some guidance. Murdoch says that many people are going to under rate Cano, but he hopes to prove to the NAFW audience that there really is more than meets the eye with Jason.

[Time – 1:30]

COMMERCIAL

In the Ring – Andy D makes his way out as we come back from commercial, with a microphone in one hand and a bag in the other. Andy D says he’s out here for one reason – to call out Snake. He says Snake got the better of him and claimed the Atlantic Championship at Oblivion, and he never got his rematch. But that was quite a while ago, and he doesn’t care anymore. Andy says doesn’t understand why Snake is targeting him again. Andy D says last week he tried to find Snake, but only got attacked for his troubles, So since Snake likes to hide out, he brought something to lure the snake from the grass. With that he pulls out Wilson, the volleyball Snake talks to and a former Atlantic Champion (yes, a volleyball won a title in the past), and demands Snake to make his way out to the ring to explain himself.

After a few moments, Snake’s music hits and the crowd boos the luchador dressed like a snake. Snake makes his way into the ring, and Andy D goes on the defensive, telling Snake he doesn’t get Wilson until he explains himself. Snake gets a microphone, and after letting the crowd boo him, he talks. Hissing with every exhale of his breath and every “S” sound, the psychotic luchador tells Andy D its funny he brought out his old friend Wilson. He says that he’s had a lot of time to think since the NAFW closed down, and the more he sat and thought, the more he realized he didn’t need Wilson. Snake continues on that the voices in his head kept him company instead. But what he and the voices never understood though is why Andy D doesn’t care about anything. Snake blasts Andy D for being so lackadaisical. Snake says so many voices appreciate Snake, but not Andy D. Snake says he fought with Andy D for months, he took Andy D’s title, and yet Andy D doesn’t care. So Snake has decided to make Andy D care by attacking him like the weak prey he is. Snake continues on that by the time he’s done with Andy D, Andy will be obsssssesssssed.

With that, Snake jumps Andy D and the two begin to brawl in the ring. The two roll around on the mat trading punches. Andy D makes it to his feet, but Snake jumps up off the mat and drills Andy with a Venom Sting (RKO) out of no where. As the crowd boos, Snake picks up the volleyball known as Wilson and punts it into the crowd. He gets back down on the mat and hisses at Andy D as we cut away.

[Time – 4:26]

Backstage – We see Mike Stryker talking to an unknown member of the NAFW staff backstage when Keith Owens bursts onto the scene. Owens immediately demands an explanation about where Stryker was last week when he got drilled with both a knockout punch and the Shadow Kick. Keith says he bailed out Stryker the week before, and at the least Stryker should have been a reliable tag team partner in their match last week.

Stryker tells Owens he doesn’t owe him anything, and there was nothing more he could have done in that match. Owens says BS, and Stryker was just upset that Keith told the truth that its Stryker’s own fault he’s in this mess with Versus and Phil Raines.

Stryker says if Owens wants to talk about the truth, then how about this:

Mike Stryker said:

“Yeah, I might have made some mistakes when taking my stands and fighting my battles. I’ve tried my best to make things right, and I am accepting any punishment coming my way.

But what makes you so high and mighty? Because suddenly you’ve stopped torturing people and ruining their lives, everyone has to listen to you and respect you?

After you came back from Japan, you spent your whole career hurting those who cared for you most. You turned on Jaime and Vin. You ruined Kevin Hyatt’s life. Because of your actions, Melissa Hayes is in a life threatening coma. You were complicit in your father’s government corruption for so long, and only got off the hook because of a plea deal. On top of that, your own life is still threatened by some stalker you pissed off somewhere in your past.

The only reason anyone out there cheers for you in the first place is because you put down a bigger sack of shit than yourself, that alcoholic piece of crap ex-best friend of yours.

And what did you do as soon as you put Cunning behind you? That same night you threatened me and Lane and wanted a shot at the championship. Then this company comes back and you can’t even go buy a gallon of milk at the grocery store without a security detail, yet you come back here and demand a shot at me for the title.

You’re a sick individual Owens.

Every life you’ve destroyed has been about your selfish obsession over the world title. Every decision you’ve made in this company has been about one thing: furthering your chances at getting your grubby hands on the strap. You’re no better than your father - the very same man you sent to prison. He corrupted the government to further his own personal agenda, and you ruin the lives of those around you to further your own desires.

Being the champion means more to you than life itself - so whose life will you ruin next on your quest for the gold?

You may have been Shadow Kicked last week, but boo-f*cking-hoo. God forbid that’s the worst thing that ever happens to you after everything you’ve done, you spoiled rotten son of a bitch.

Stay the f*ck out of my face, because the next time I see you, I might just put you down myself, you arrogant piece of shit."

Stryker pushes by Owens and walks away, leaving “The Difference Maker” utterly shocked, dismayed, and without words.

[Time – 4:02]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Frankie the Hamster vs. Mike Castleberry – The announcers are still in shock over the last segment as we come out to commercial. Frankie the Hamster is out first to a sizable pop from the kids in the crowd. Tom takes pleasure in reminding us how Frankie was squashed by Hush last week. Mike Castleberry is out next to a less favorable reaction. This isn’t quite the squash match we saw last week by Hush, but Castleberry has little trouble defeating the man in the hamster suit with his Last Breath finisher. After the match, Castleberry continues to drop mad elbows into Frankie even though he proved his point in the match. Suddenly the arena lights go off, and a spotlight shines on Castleberry in the ring. A second light points up to the rafters, where the same mysterious man from last week stands in a trench coat. This time we hear him speak, as he says: “Galatians 6:7 – Whatever a man sow, the same he shall have to reap.” The lights go completely out, then back on to normal again, and Castleberry stands in the ring alone and confused. JB wonders who the mystery man in the rafters is. Tom naturally suggests Sting, to which JB rolls his eyes.

[Time – 3:32]

Backstage – Twitch is on his cell phone, walking around in the parking lot when Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels slowly approach him, trying to go un-noticed as they're not really supposed to be there since they aren't employed by the NAFW. Rock and Rex start going “Psst, psst” very indiscreetly, trying to get Twitch’s attention. Twitch finally diverts his attention away from the phone, and demands to know what “Pebble and Prince” want. The duo says they heard he was looking to manage someone other than Spaz, and it just so happens, they’re looking to get in on the action here. Twitch ponders it for a minute, then says next week, they need to show up with their ring gear, because they’ve got to pass the first Twitch Challenge if he's even going to consider being their manager.

[Time – 2:14]

Backstage – We cut away to an office backstage, where NAFW owner Hector Gonzales and Versus executive Phil Raines are sitting on a plush leather couch discussing some kind of business matters when Ashley Collier interrupts. Hector doesn’t mind the interruption, but Raines looks kind of annoyed. Collier says that he’s disappointed he wasn’t booked in a match this week after his stellar performance last week. He reminds them that he knocked out Owens not once, but twice! Hector agrees, and tells him he can be in the main event next week. A light bulb goes off in Raines’ head, and he says he’s got just the opponent for Collier – Mike Stryker! Hector agrees and books it, and we fade out with Collier saying “The Born Warrior” is back in business.

[Time – 0:57]

COMMERCIAL

In the Ring – Mike Lane makes his way out to the ring with a microphone in hand. When the crowd finally stops telling him that he sucks, Lane says that he was handpicked to be the face of the NAFW on Versus, but since the re-debut of the program, he’s been feeling a little overshadowed. First it was Owens, then it was Collier. But Lane tells the fans to ignore those kind of distractions, because the brightest star is right before their eyes, and tonight, he’s going to prove why “Mr. Old School Hollywood” is the one to bank on in the NAFW.

His opponent's music hits and Keith Owens makes his way out to the ring, looking a little out of it compared to normal. As Owens enters the ring and stares down Lane, we cut to commercial.

[Time – 2:45]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Mike Lane vs. Keith Owens – We join the match in progress. We see that during the commercial break, Lane was working over the ribs of Owens and now has him in an abdominal stretch. Owens works his way out, and the two wrestlers go on to have a match full of a lot of near falls, and a lot of near-Shadow Kicks (Super kick) and Difference Makers (Twist of Fate). The crowd stays very hot all the way through. One high spot was when Owens went for the Don’t Try This At Home (Shooting Star Press), but Lane got his knees up and damaged the ribs of Owens more. Another big spot was when Owens had Lane facing the corner and he nailed him with two knees to the back (Elijah Express). As Lane stumbled backwards out of the corner, Owens caught him with a flying reverse armbar, but Lane was able to make it to the ropes. The finish sees Lane bump the referee for some kind of cheating plan, but Owens is quicker and spits the Asian mist in Lanes' eyes. He hits the Difference Maker, but the referee isn’t there to make the count. After a couple of minutes, Owens finally revives the referee, and picks up Lane to nail him with another Difference Maker. Before Owens can execute the move, Ashley Collier sprints down the ramp toward the ring. This distracts Keith and he drops Lane to defend against interference by Collier. However, Collier stops short of entering the ring, and Lane rolls up Owens. He grabs the tights and gets his feet on the ropes for super cheating leverage after the groggy referee made the first count. Two more counts later and the cheating undetected, Mike Lane wins the match!

After the match, Owens is quick to his feet and yells at the referee. However, Collier slides into the ring and Owens finds himself outnumbered. Before the heels can attack, Mike Stryker’s music hits the speakers and “The Big City Hitman” gets a loud ovation from his hometown. Stryker sprints down to the ring to even the score. He faces off against Lane as Owens takes on Collier. Lane looks to nail Stryker with the Shadow Kick, but Stryker dodges out of the way and Lane drills Collier in the back of the head by mistake! With Collier down and Lane shocked about missing, Stryker gets back into the mix of things and kicks Lane in the gut, then drives him to the mat with a partial Paradigm Shift (normally three rolling piledrivers, this time just one). The crowd goes wild as both Lane and Collier are down, leaving Owens and Stryker standing tall. The two men stare down after the intense words Stryker had for Owens earlier, but the stare down doesn’t last after Stryker kicks Owens in the gut and drives him to the mat with a Paradigm Shift as well! The crowd pops for their hometown hero as he stands tall over three other fallen bodies in the ring. JB and Tom shill next week’s main event of Stryker vs. Collier as the show comes to a close.

[Time – 15:59]

Quote

Quick Results:
Dustin Thomas & Hush d. Jaime Alejandro & Tyrone Smith via pin fall
Mike Castleberry d. Frankie the Hamster via pin fall
Mike Lane d. Keith Owens via pin fall
Total tape time: 45:08

[KO Dave]

Here's RajahNAFW's latest dirt sheet:

- As was announced on Annihilation and confirmed on TheNAFW.Com, next week's main event will pit "The Big City Hitman" Mike Stryker against "The Born Warrior" Ashley Collier. Also on tap for next week is some sort of challenge created by Twitch that Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels will partake in to win the managerial services of Twitch.

- The breaking news of the moment comes from Keith Owens' Facebook status. It simply says "No more." Many within the industry are wondering if that means he's walking away from the NAFW again as he did once in the past, especially after the strong words Stryker had for him at the last taping. RajahNAFW will have more updates as they break.

- The fast overnight rating for the third taping is in, and Annihilation scored a 0.79. Phil Raines was concerned that the 15 minute main event match didn't help do better numbers for the show. Smarks in the IWC gave the main event match fairly high marks for a TV match, including three and four stars. However, the number at least means the NAFW is scoring in a consistent range so far. Quarter hour breakdowns take longer to be released.

- Dustin Thomas appears to be in the dog house for giving Jaime Alejandro the Executor (Canadian Destroyer) by springboarding over the corner turnbuckle, over Jaime Alejandro, and flip piledriving Alejandro onto the mat. As a precaution, Jaime was stretchered out of the ringside area immediately after the match, and many feared he may have broken his neck after taking the move. It turns out Jaime is okay, and may be given some time to heal up.

- Mike Stryker was feeling pretty good about himself at the end of the night. Earlier in the night he ripped into Keith Owens, then he was the last man standing at the conclusion of the show. Stryker even signed some autographs for fans outside of the NAFW Arena at the conclusion of the taping. The locker room was pretty much in shock over Stryker's "shoot" on Owens, as a lot of what Stryker said has always been considered somewhat taboo.

- Dan Meltzer's controversial newsletter on former NAFW stars has received one answer - James "Cougar" Clarke spoke out on his personal blog and confirmed he's still with the NAFW, working as an agent backstage. Cougar also had this jab for Meltzer: "Maybe if these so-called reporters were more interested in watching and supporting the product rather than trying to dig up dirt about it, we'd be in a better spot than we are now."

- Finally, some crew members reported that Phil Raines and Hector Gonzales were working hard backstage trying to land Mike Lane spots on the late night talk show circuit to plug the NAFW on Versus, and his film career.

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #4
Only on Versus

Intro – The show opens with a quick montage of famous NAFW clips over the years as the opening to Silversun Pickups' “Panic Switch” plays us in. The clip montage finishes with some more recent clips, then the camera fades in to the new stage at the NAFW Arena in New York City. Laser lights, smoke, and some small sparkler pyrotechnics go off below the new, smaller, NAFWtron. The camera pans to various crowd shots. JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun welcome us to the fourth new episode of Annihilation on Versus.

[Time – 1:00]

In the Ring – Mike Lane’s music hits and out comes the Versus network’s chosen superstar to kick off Annihilation. Clad in an expensive white and gold silk shirt, unbuttoned, black slacks, Italian leather shoes, and sunglasses to protect him from his own glow, the former NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion Mike Lane makes his way down to the ring with his hair slicked back into a ponytail, and a smug look on his face. JB wonders what Lane has to be happy about, because even though he beat Keith Owens last week, Mike Stryker still laid both of them out.

After posing in the ring to draw heat, Lane gets on the mic and gets down to business. He talks about his iron clad contract with the Versus network, and says that the only reason the NAFW was brought back to life was to feature him. “Mr. Old School Hollywood” continues on saying that even though he crushed Keith Owens last week, here he is without a match this week. Lane says that is unacceptable because if there is one thing the NAFW needs, its more Mike Lane. Lane explains that he went to Versus executive Phil Raines, and Raines agreed that Mike Lane needs more of the spotlight. That’s why next week, Raines has booked a huge main event – “Mr. Old School Hollywood” himself will be competing in an Oblivion rematch with “The Big City Hitman” Mike Stryker.

Being in New York and all, the crowd pops for the name of their hero. However, the sound of Ashley Collier’s music drowns them out as “The Born Warrior” steps out onto the stage. Ashley Collier strolls down the aisle and gets into the ring with Lane. He takes the microphone from him and says that is indeed a big main event. But Collier finds it kind of funny that Lane would get that match booked so soon considering Stryker won’t be fit to compete after the beating he’ll receive tonight. Collier reminds Lane that Hector Gonzales has hand picked him to be the future of this company, and after all, Father Time is not on Lane’s side. Before Lane can take offense to that, Collier informs us that he’s taken the liberty of getting Hector Gonzales to book an even better main event for next week – “The Born Warrior” Ashley Collier versus “The Difference Maker” Keith Owens! Collier says first things first – he’s going to knock out Stryker tonight! Lane sarcastically tells Collier “good luck with that” under his breath as Collier’s music hits. Ashley makes his way up the ramp with a smug look on his face as Lane stands in the ring, upset about having the spotlight stolen from him again.

[Time – 7:21]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Mike Castleberry vs. Jaime Alejandro – We come back from commercial with Mike Castleberry already down in the ring, exchanging barbs with someone in the crowd. He then gets on the mic tells everyone that the man in the rafters better stop hiding, because after he beats Jaime Alejandro’s ass, he’s coming for the mystery man. This brings out Jaime Alejandro, and the match gets under way. Castleberry steals the early advantage with eye gouges, back rakes, etc. Jaime quickly changes the pace though and after a Counter Strike (Half Hatch Suplex) and a 50 Cal. Kick (Running Corner Yakuza Kick), Castleberry rolls to the outside and tries to walk out on the match. Jaime isn’t going to let victory escape, and goes after Castleberry. Castleberry jumps the barrier and heads through the crowd when out of no where a man resembling Rorschach from The Watchmen, but minus the Rorschach Test on his mask, knocks Castleberry down with a nightstick! Jaime has now entered into the crowd, and he takes his dazed opponent and throws him back over the guard rail and rolls him into the ring, while the mystery man disappears into the crowd once more. Inside the ring, Castleberry stumbles to his feet, but is nailed with a Crimson Revolver (Inverted Angle Slam). Jaime picks up the win, and looks out into the crowd, but no longer sees the mystery man. With speculation running rampant, we cut away.

[Time – 5:40]

Backstage – Backstage, we see the Old School Empire, Dustin Thomas and “The Alpha” Shane Thomas standing and talking about how Shane bench pressed 5 billion pounds. A few moments into the scene, Jaime Alejandro steps through the curtain. Dustin tells him he’s lucky he got an assist out there from some freak, or else he’d still be winless. Shane joins in, making fun of Jaime for being a little pudgy, for being old, for being a recovering alcoholic, etc. Jaime, a bit out of breath, scoffs at the immature jackasses and walks a way, choosing to fight his battle a different day.

As Jaime walks out of the shot, Mike Lane walks into the shot. He approaches OSE very jovial and treats them like old friends – after all, Lane has served as a mentor for the OSE for a long time, and they were very close allies before the NAFW closed the last time. Dustin and Shane respond very coldly to Lane though. He asks what the problem is, and Shane says they don’t appreciate being treated like afterthoughts, and reminds Lane that this is the first time they’ve spoken since Oblivion because Lane was too busy with his movie roles. Dustin chimes in that Lane isn’t the only TV star around these parts, referring to his own role as the host of one of those VH1 dating shows. Shane says that if Lane is looking for help against Stryker next week, then he should forget about it. Dustin says they still like to kick it Old School, but Lane is a little bit too old for them these days, and he’ll have to deal with Stryker by himself. We cut to commercial with Lane looking frustrated.

[Time – 3:15]

COMMERCIAL

Video – This video clip begins with another montage of training clips we have seen over the past few weeks featuring NAFW newcomer Jason Cano. We see Jason make a number of his sparring partners tap out to the Juji-gatame, or cross armlock as it is known in English. The video cuts to Jason sitting before a camera with sunglasses on. The youngster has a 5 o’clock shadow and a closely buzzed hair cut spiked up on the top. Jason says it was a dream come true to sign on the dotted line for his NAFW contract. He goes on to say that he’s been training nonstop for his debut in the company. He lets us know that he does a lot of mixed martial arts training, with a heavy focus on grappling, wrestling, ground game, and submissions. Cano says its like the old saying, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.” He doesn’t like to let his opponents get far away from him in the ring, and he prefers to finish them off as quick as possible. He says to keep watching for his debut, because you’ll be sure to see more than meets the eye.

[Time – 2:00]

Match: Frankie the Hamster vs. Snake – Frankie the Hamster makes his way out to the ring first to the sounds of a song from his former children’s show. Snake is out shortly after to jeers from the crowd. JB reminds us that Snake spent a few weeks sneak attacking Andy D. Tom cues up a replay of the segment from last week where Snake says he’s going to make Andy D care about Snake to the point of obsession. Back in the ring, the bell rings for the match to begin. Frankie the Hamster offers a handshake to the other masked man in the ring, and Snake slowly extends his hand out too, but then pulls it away at the last second while quickly turning around, nailing Frankie with the Venom Sting (RKO). Snake slides over Frankie’s chest and the referee counts the three, ending this match in record time.

From the back, Andy D runs down the ramp and slides into the ring. He drills Snake with a flying forearm. Andy D stalks Snake as Snake tries to get up. Snake is in the perfect position for a Dragon's Bite (Shining Wizard Knee Kick), but Andy D hesitates for some reason. Andy can’t quite find it in him to pull off the move, and then he somewhat reluctantly and oddly leaves the ring. Tom celebrates the fact that Snake forced Andy D to care about Snake, while JB disagrees and thinks Andy D hesitated because coming out here to attack Snake is just what Snake wanted, and Andy D doesn’t want to be a pawn in Snake’s game. Both men agree that if one thing is for sure, its that Snake has got Andy D’s attention.

[Time – 3:51]

Backstage – We’re in Hector Gonzales’ executive office where the NAFW owner and Versus executive Phil Raines are having a lively debate about whose man will win their match next week. Hector suggests a friendly wager – If Mike Lane wins, Phil Raines can book the entire show the week after. And if Ashley Collier wins, Raines has to get Annihilation a two hour special on Versus. Raines likes the sound of that, and shakes on it.

[Time – 1:16]

COMMERCIAL

In the Ring – Back from commercial, and Twitch is standing in the ring. He says that last week, the Rock ‘n’ Rex Express requested his managerial services in order to get their jobs back. Twitch calls Rock ‘n’ Rex out to the ring. Their music Queen’s "We Will Rock You" hits the speakers and Scott Rocker, Rex Michaels, and GNR make their way out to the ring with the crown stomp-stomp-clapping for them. Immediately Twitch gets upset and asks what the heck is GNR doing out here. Twitch says that he only works solo as a manager. Rocker quickly makes up a cover story and says that GNR isn’t a manager – she’s a groupie! Twitch says fine, but she’s no longer the groupie of the Rock ‘n’ Rex Express… for now, she’s the groupie of Blake Bouchard! (Blake Bouchard is the name of the towel Twitch wears around his neck, named after a long time influence on the NAFW.) Twitch throws her the towel and tells her to clean up that snail trail she left on the entrance ramp after laying her eyes on Twitch.

Twitch turns his attention back to Rock ‘n’ Rex, and says that they’ve got to pass a Twitch Challenge if Twitch is going to be their manager. Unfortunately for them, another team has also requested the services of Twitch, and Twitch can only deal with one team at a time. So before Twitch even considers who he might manage, one of these teams has to eliminate the other. Rocker demands to know who the other team is, and before Twitch can answer, Korn’s cover of "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" kicks in, revealing their challengers to be the former body guards of Rock ‘n’ Rex, a duo known as Brick and Mortar (John Brick and Casey Mortar). At a combined weight of 622 lbs., these two men are big and thick, and Rocker is outraged at their betrayal! Twitch tells him T.S., and this match is underway.

[Time – 2:47]

Match: The Rock ‘n’ Rex Express (Scott Rocker & Rex Michaels) vs. Brick and Mortar (John Brick and Casey Mortar) – The two big men spend most of the match dominating Scott Rocker in a comical fashion, until he can tag out to Rex Michaels who manages to hold his own. While Rex is busy in the ring, Rocker fishes underneath the ring and pulls out a guitar. He strolls over to the opposite corner, and when the referee isn’t looking, he El Kabongs John Brick! Back in the ring, Casey Mortar saw this, but before he could do anything about it, Michaels uses the distraction to nail him with a stiff clothesline. Rex signals Casey to get up, and as Casey does, Rocker slides into the ring kneels down on all fours behind him. This allows Rex to hit a big super kick that sends Mortar flying over the back of Rocker! This combo is known as the North-South Expressway, and Rex dives over Rocker to make the pin cover on Mortar. The referee makes the three count, and Rock ‘n’ Rex defeat Brick and Mortar.

Twitch re-enters the ring and says that was impressive, but it wasn’t Hall of Fame impressive like the last wrestler Twitch managed. He says they better be ready for another Twitch Challenge next week, because we’re only getting started.

[Time – 5:23]

Backstage – Tyrone Smith stands by with Amie Carmichael. Amie asks Tyrone if he has any response to Aleister Essex’s bullying ways. Tyrone says this isn’t the first time he’s dealt with Essex and Hush, but he’s going to make sure it’s the last time they try to mess with him. That’s why next week, he’s issuing a challenge to Essex – he wants Hush, one on one, in the ring. Aleister Essex strolls into the shot. Bravo, he tells Tyrone. A one on one match with Hush, next week? He hopes Tyrone knows what he’s getting himself into. He reminds Tyrone that Hush doesn’t just wrestle people – he destroys them, especially no talent hacks like Tyrone. The artist formerly known as Crazy Boy reminds Essex that Hush doesn’t have the best track record of finishing what he starts. In response, Essex slaps Tyrone across the face and tells him that next week, Hush is taking the NAFW’s resident mentally challenged superstar off life support once and for all. Essex walks off while Amie is in shock over what just transpired.

[Time – 2:10]

Backstage – As JB and Tom finish talking about that third big match for next week, we cut backstage to Mike Stryker’s locker room where he is finishing taping up his wrists. He pulls off his black sweatshirt and throws it aside in the locker room, then heads for the door. JB reminds us that our main event match is next!

[Time – 0:30]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Ashley Collier vs. Mike Stryker – Ashley Collier is down to the ring first to boos from the crowd. Those boos change to a huge pop when the hometown hero, “The Big City Hitman” Mike Stryker makes his way out in front of the live audience in the NAFW Arena. The two competitors stare each other down in the ring when unexpectedly, Mike Lane’s music hits. “Mr. Old School Hollywood” makes his way down and around the ring, unexpectedly joining JB and Tom on commentary. The match is an exciting back and forth affair with Collier looking to cheat at various times, but coming up short. Stryker attempts to lock in the New York Cloverleaf (Texas Cloverleaf) at various times but can’t lock it in all the way. Collier comes close to hitting the Knocked the Fuck Out punch on several occasions as well. Lane, on commentary, spends a lot of time putting himself over and hyping his Oblivion rematch against Stryker next week. At one point, Collier takes Stryker down with a belly to belly suplex. Collier then kneels down with his back to the referee and starts to fiddle with something in his shorts in a non-perverted way. He pulls out a pair of brass knuckles, and Lane informs the commentary team that he needs a closer look at the action in the ring. Lane leaves the desk and hops up onto the apron, distracting the referee and Stryker.

As Collier stalks Stryker, Keith Owens runs down the ramp from the back and slides into the ring with a chair in the direction of Lane. Smartly, Lane hops off the apron and moves away on the outside toward the ramp. Keith turns around and Collier has changed his focus from Stryker to Owens. He swings for his knockout punch with the brass knuckles, but Owens blocks it by nailing Collier’s hand with the chair. The referee calls for the bell, and that would make Ashley Collier the winner of the match by way of disqualification. As Collier drops to the outside of the ring, grabbing his fist in immense pain, Stryker spears Owens down, upset that Owens cost him the match. The two tumble on the mat exchanging punches when out of no where, Keith blasts Stryker with the Asian Mist, blinding the “Big City Hitman.” With Stryker trying to wipe his eyes clean, Owens stares down Collier and Lane on the outside as Annihilation comes to a close. JB takes one last moment to plug the three big matches for next week’s show, and that’s it for this taping.

[Time – 10:32]

Quote

Quick Results:
Jaime Alejandro d. Mike Castleberry via pin fall
Snake d. Frankie the Hamster via pin fall
The Rock ‘n’ Rex Express d. Brick and Mortar via pin fall
Ashley Collier d. Mike Stryker via disqualification
Total tape time: 45:45

[KO Dave]

THE BREAKDOWN v. 2

Show: Annihilation
Length: 1 Hour
Network: Versus
Time: Wednesday @ 11 PM

Venue: The NAFW Arena
Location: New York City
Maximum Capacity: ~3,000


Personnel:

NAFW Owner: Hector Gonzales
Versus Executive: Phil Raines
Annihilation Commentators:
JB Mann
Tom “Bear” Kalhoun
Interviewers:
Amie Carmichael
Kramer
Ring Announcer: Troy Gilmore
TheNAFW.Com Editor: Kramer

Roster:

Ammo
Real Name: Dean Powell
D.O.B.: 5/23/1977
Height: 6'9”
Weight: 361 lbs.
Hometown: London, Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Three Days Grace - "Riot"
Finisher: Breakdown - Sit-out One-Handed Chokeslam
Signature Moves:
Lock and Load - Jacknife Powerbomb
Crossfire - Quick series of punches with opponent pinned to the ground or corner
Ammo Dump - Pumphandle to Front Slam
Shootout - Elevated Crab

Andy D
D.O.B.: 9/15/1986
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 197 lbs.
Hometown: Ipswitch, United Kingdom
Entrnace Music: Jay Gordon - "Keep Yourself Alive II"
Finisher: Dragon's Bite - Shining Wizard Knee Kick
Signature Moves:
Tornado DDT
Dragon Screw
Drop Kick
Neckbreaker

Ashley Collier
D.O.B.: 7/28/1982
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 245 lbs.
Hometown: Waco, Texas
Entrnace Music: Juelz Santana - "The Second Coming"
Finisher: Knocked The Fuck Out - Big right hand (sometimes with brass knuckles)
Signature Moves:
Glass Jaw - Modified 3/4 turn neckbreaker
15th Round - Double Underhook Piledriver
Warrior Crossface - Crippler Crossface
Biting

Dustin Thomas
D.O.B.: 5/18/1986
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Entrnace Music: Lil Wayne - "Fireman"
Finisher: The Executor - Top Rope Canadian Destroyer
Signature Moves:
Fireball - 450 Splash
New School - A standing Buff Blockbuster
Osaka Street Cutter
Frankensteiner

Frankie the Hamster
D.O.B.: 2/25/1976
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 250 lbs.
Hometown: Akron, Ohio
Entrance Music: Frankie the Hamster - "Good Morals Song"
Finisher: One Way Ticket to the Bad Place - Powerbomb
Signature Moves:
Punch
Kick
Body Slam
Clothesline

Hush
Managed by: Aleister Essex
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 326 lbs.
Hometown: Parts Unknown
Entrance Music: Tool - "Hush"
Finisher: Echoes in Eternity - Black Hole Slam
Signature Moves:
The Deafening Silence - Canadian Backbreaker to DDT
The Curb Stomp
Freedom Is A Choice - Sleeper using opponent's arm to choke themselves
Avalanche Clothesline

Jaime Alejandro
Nickname: The Saint
D.O.B.: 2/7/1978
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 260 lbs.
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Entrance Music: Living Colour - "Cult of Personality"
Finisher: Crimson Revolver - Inverted Angle Slam
Signature Moves:
Counter Strike - Half Hatch Suplex Hold
Boot Camp - British Figure Four aka Trailer Hitch
50 Cal. Kick - Running Corner Yakuza Kick
Mounted Front Guard and Punches

Keith Owens
Nickname: The Difference Maker
D.O.B.: 11/14/1984
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 223 lbs.
Hometown: Springfield, Illinois
Entrance Music: Spineshank - "Fallback"
Finisher: The Difference Maker - Twist of Fate
Signature Moves:
Don't Try This At Home - Shooting Star Press
Asian Mist
Springboard Jumping Heel Kick
Armbar

Mike Castleberry
Nickname: Creeping Death
D.O.B.: 7/11/1980
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 230 lbs.
Hometown: San Diego, California
Entrance Music: Megadeth - "Die Dead Enough"
Finisher: Last Breath - The springboard motion of Sliced Bread #2 into a Backcracker
Signature Moves:
The Blackout - A flipping top rope guillitine leg drop off the top rope
Tiger Suplex
Powerbomb/DDT combo

Mike Lane
Nickname: Mr. Old School Hollywood
D.O.B.: 6/6/1968
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 280 lbs.
Hometown: Kingsport, Tennessee
Billed From: Hollywood, California
Entrance Music: Jane's Addiction - "Superhero"
Finisher: Shadow Kick - Superkick to the chest
Signature Moves:
Phoenix Rising - Opponent on top rope, run the ropes, arm drag into Christian-style reverse DDT
The Chaotix - Downward spiral, throws in the air by legs, flips around and reverse Rock Bottom
Old School - Figure Four Leglock
Rising Knee Lift

Mike Stryker
Nickname: The Big City Hitman
D.O.B.: 2/9/1975
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 226 lbs.
Hometown: New York, New York
Entrance Music: Eminem - "Til I Collapse"
Finisher: New York Cloverleaf - A texas cloverleaf variation where it's turned halfway and Strkyer kneels to pressure the spine
Signature Moves:
Paradigm Shift - 3 rolling piledrivers
Suplexes
Submissions
Powerbomb

Shane Thomas
Nickname: The Alpha
D.O.B.: 4/25/1980
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 280 lbs.
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Entrance Music: Lil Wayne - "Fireman"
Finisher: The Alphalock - Full Nelson Submission
Signature Moves:
Alphalock Slam - Full Nelson Slam
The Alpha Manuever - A gorilla press slam into piledriver
Spinebuster
Swinging Neckbreaker

Slush
Real Name: Bryan Francis
D.O.B.: 7/12/1975
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 243 lbs.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Three Days Grace - "Riot"
Finisher: Melting Point - Twisting Moonsault
Signature Moves:
Judgement Call - Famouser
Ice Breaker - Flying Back Elbow
Liquify - Fireman's carry, spun into sitting front slam
Nutcracker - Low Blow

Snake
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Entrance Music: Whitesnake - "Good To Be Bad"
Finisher: Venom Sting - RKO
Signature Moves:
Poison Drop - Inverted Spinning Neckbreaker
Snake Eyes
Cobra Clutch
Guillotine Choke

Tyrone Smith
Formerly known as: Crazy Boy
D.O.B.: 12/4/1980
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Hometown: Biloxi, Mississippi
Entrance Music: Atreyu - "Lip Gloss and Black"
Finisher: Ruthless Aggression - GTS
Signature Moves:
Crazy Slam - Falcon Arrow
Crazy Drop - Missle Dropkick
Crazy Spin - 720 Senton Bomb
Crazy Hold - Double leg Boston crab

Tag Teams:

Old School Empire
Members: Dustin Thomas and Shane Thomas
Combined Weight: 505 lbs.
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Entrance Music: Lil Wayne - "Fireman"
Finisher: Alpha Class - Shane picks the opponent up into a military press, except the opponent is facing the sky. Dustin comes off the top rope, just as Shane drops them, bringing the opponent to the mat with a neckbreaker

The Goods
Members: Slush and Ammo
Combined Weight: 604 lbs.
Hometown: Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Three Days Grace - "Riot"
Finisher: Crash On Delivery (C.O.D.) - Ammo's Breakdown followed by Slush's Melting Point

Non Roster Members:

Scott Rocker
Managed by: GNR (Gillian Narcotica Ruiz)
D.O.B.: 6/12/1986
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Entrance Music: Queen - "We Will Rock You"
Finisher: Rocker Dropper - Leg drop bulldog aka Fame-Ass-er/Famouser
Signature Moves:
Cleveland Rocks! - Electric Guitar Smash
Bronco Buster
X-Factor

Rex Michaels
Managed by: GNR (Gillian Narcotica Ruiz)
D.O.B.: 11/19/1982
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 260 lbs.
Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Entrance Music: Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Freebird"
Finisher: Freebird - Top Rope Flying Elbow Drop
Signature Moves:
Southern Comfort - Powerbomb pin holding the tights
Alabama Slam
Oklahoma Slam
Big Lariat

Rock 'n' Rex Express
Members: Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels with GNR
Combined Weight: 460 lbs.
Hometown: U. S. of A.
Entrance Music: Queen - "We Will Rock You"
Finisher: North-South Expressway - Rocker kneels behind the opponent. Michaels then Superkicks the opponent over Rocker, and Rocker uses that momentum to score an instant roll up pin

John Brick
D.O.B.: 4/2/1984
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 323 lbs.
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Entrance Music: Korn - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2"
Finisher: Brickbreaker - Half nelson backbreaker
Signature Moves: Power moves

Casey Mortar
D.O.B.: 7/21/1984
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 299 lbs.
Hometown: Trenton, New Jersey
Entrance Music: Korn - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2"
Finisher: Trowel Spike - Half nelson driver
Signature Moves: Power moves

Brick and Mortar
Members: John Brick and Casey Mortar
Combined Weight: 622 lbs.
Hometown: Tri-State Area of the Delaware River
Entrance Music: Korn - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2"
Finisher: The Wall - Double Shoulder Tackle

Spaz [Retired]
Real Name: Sean Thomas
Managed by: Twitch
D.O.B.: 1/15/1978
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 202 lbs.
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Entrance Music: Daughtry - "There and Back Again"
Finisher: Sugar Rush - Flatliner
Signature Moves:
Spaz Out - Jump Swinging Reverse DDT
Sweets Kick - Spinning Heel Kick
Sweetsault - Moonsault
Sweet Revenge - Seats opponent on top turnbuckle, springs off of ropes hitting a Diamond Cutter type neckbreaker

[KO Dave]

And now, the latest from the dirt sheets:

- The rating for Annihilation is in, and the show pulled a low .67. Phil Raines was not pleased to say the least, as this is the lowest rating for Annihilation yet. It should be noted this is still a decent rating for an 11 PM time slot on a cable network. Next week will be a big test for Annihilation as it is being promoted as their biggest show yet with the double main event of Mike Lane vs. Mike Stryker and Ashley Collier vs. Keith Owens, along with Tyrone Smith vs. Hush on the undercard. These are essentially PPV caliber matches the NAFW will be giving away for free as they have no PPV deal in place.

- Not only was the rating down for Annihilation this week, but attendance in the NAFW Arena was down too. Live reports place the crowd at 50% capacity with the upper bleachers blocked off.

- Word is that the Ultimate Showdown tournament to crown a new Foundation Heavyweight Champion will begin at Annihilation taping #7.

- Following the conclusion of the main event of Annihilation, Stryker's eyes had to be washed out with a special solution after he was sprayed with the Asian Mist by Keith Owens. What happened to Collier is more uncertain. Some say he broke or fractured his proximal phalanges or metacarpals in his hand from the impact of the brass knuckle punch colliding with a chair shot, and he may have his hand in a cast. Others say his just suffered a stinger and will be good to go. So far, TheNAFW.Com hasn't posted any update on Collier's condition and the match with Keith Owens is still being promoted.

- Due to the intense media coverage of the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson, Mike Lane was bumped from a handful of news and talk show appearances where he was scheduled to promote next week's mega-card.

- Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels truly are not under contract with the NAFW. They are working for free, and apparently if Twitch wants to manage them, only then will they get paid contracts.

- Stud Muffan, a former NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion, has been working as an entertainment correspondent and gossip blogger for the E! cable network. He recently Tweeted the following on his Twitter: "Caught the latest Annihilation. Meh. Needs more than hot sweaty men grabbing each other."

- There is much speculation about the identity of the mystery man from the rafters who is targeting Mike Castleberry. The consensus seems to be that it is Aaron Worth, the brother of former NAFW Foundation Heavyweight Champion TomWorth, trying to make a come back.

- In a bizarre note, Mike Castleberry apparently was asking fans outside of the NAFW arena for spare change so he could buy a pack of smokes.

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #5
Only on Versus

Intro – We open the show with a replay of the events that led to the big matches tonight. We start with Aleister Essex, the keeper of the monster Hush, harassing The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Crazy-Boy Tyrone Smith. This is followed up by a recap of Mike Lane and Ashley Collier fighting for the spotlight, issuing challenges to Mike Stryker and Keith Owens, ending with the match last week where Owens rand down and smacked Collier’s brass-knuckled fist with a steel chair, drawing a DQ against Stryker. Stryker starts a brawl with Owens and gets Asian Misted for his troubles, finishing up with Owens staring down Lane and Collier. This is followed by the NAFW and Annihilation logos.

[Time – 2:15]

Match: Keith Owens vs. Ashley Collier – The show kick’s off with Keith Owens’ entrance music. The crowd pops big for the reformed Trust Fund Kid as his pyro showers down and he makes his way out from the back. Commentators JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun play to our short attention spans and remind us of what happened last week, and that Collier knocked out Owens and pinned him on episode 2 as well. Ashley Collier makes his way out to the ring in his boxing robe, with full sized boxing gloves hanging over his neck. He jumps around in the middle of the ring like Rocky. Ashley Collier, though not wearing his full sized gloves, is wearing 4 ounce MMA gloves. This makes Owens suspicious and he demands that the referee check Collier over – particularly for the brass knuckles. The ref checks both men over down to their boots, but finds nothing illegal, and then calls for the bell.

This match begins uniquely. Collier tries to keep the match a standing affair, as he takes his boxing stance and throws jabs at Owens. Owens is no boxer so he tries to counter with some shooting, but can’t quite connect with Collier. Owens then attempts some marshal arts kicks which finds him a little success at getting in closer to Collier, but Collier hammers back with left and rights. Owens gets rattled and backs off, but then charges back in with some jabs of his own. The two then duke it out, with Collier getting the upper hand due to his background.

Owens eventually gets Collier in a tie up which the referee tries to separate, but Owens nails Collier with a headbutt then hits him with a belly to belly suplex. This changes the momentum of the match as Collier can’t get back into boxing mode, and must wrestle Owens, where Owens holds a skill advantage. This overwhelms Collier, who rolls to the outside. Keith planchas over the top rope and takes Collier out. Owens picks up Collier and slams his arm into the ring post, and then throws him into the steel steps. “The Difference Maker” gets back into the ring as the referee proceeds to count Collier out, but Ashley makes it back onto the apron around 8. At this point, Owens approaches and Collier tries to slip in a “Knocked The Fuck Out” punch, but Owens counters and grabs Collier’s arm when he throws the punch, Collier is stunned as Owens jumps and springboards off the second rope, while still holding his arm, causing Collier to flip into the ring! Keith immediately goes for an arm bar and locks it in! Collier flails around trying to break the arm bar, and is finally able to grab the bottom rope.

Keith is forced to break the hold against the “Born Warrior” and he does so. Collier tries to get to his feet, but Owens runs and hits him with a low drop kick, then slaps the arm bar on again! Collier is quick to grab the rope, and this time it takes Owens until a count of four to break the hold. The official admonishes Owens, giving Collier enough time to get back onto his feet. Owens turns to his opponent and Collier goes for his knock out punch once again! But Keith avoids it once more and counters with a neck breaker. He picks up Ashley and Irish whips him chest first into the turnbuckle. Owens pulls down his knee pads and charges in for that double knee to the back, but Collier stops, drops, and rolls to the outside like he’s on fire. Owens gets hung up in a modified tree of woe after connecting with nothing but turnbuckle. While the ref is distracted helping Keith, Collier goes over to his full sized boxing gloves and pulls out a pair of brass knuckles! He throws off one of his MMA gloves and slips on the brass knux. He proceeds to climb back onto the apron, and yells at the referee to get away from Owens. From there, the “Born Warrior” ascends to the top rope while Keith is in the tree of woe. Collier jumps, spins, and lands on his knees, dropping a sickening punch to the skull of Owens! The crowd begins chanting “Holy Shit!” as Collier himself is in great pain because of the damage Owens did earlier. As he rolls on the mat grabbing his arm, the referee spots the brass knuckles on his bare fist and calls for a disqualification!

The referee throws up the X symbol and EMTs run down from the back with a stretcher. The official then turns his attention to Collier and tells him to get the hell out of the ring. As the EMTs get to the ring to tend to Owens, we can see that he’s been busted wide open and is bleeding all over his face and the mat. The medical personnel take him out of the tree of woe and load him onto a stretcher, while Ashley Collier raises his one good arm at the top of the ramp.

[Time – 15:06]

COMMERCIAL

Backstage – We’re in Hector Gonzales’ office, where he’s watching program on a flat screen TV with Versus executive Phil Raines. Raines brings up their bet from the week before, and tells Hector it looks like he won’t be getting that two hour special he wanted. Hector says that his man was left standing, and that’s what should matter. Phil says it’s too late to change the rules, and that he expects that not only will Mike Lane be the last man standing tonight in his match, but that he will win his match cleanly. Hector is not pleased.

[Time – 0:50 ]

Backstage – We join this backstage brawl in progress, where Andy D and Snake are pounding the crap out of each other backstage. We have no idea who started the fight, but Jaime Alejandro and Mike Castleberry step in and retrain Andy D and Snake respectively. JB comments that things are crazy around here tonight, and wonders if Andy D lost his cool again, or if Snake was the perpetrator.

[Time – 1:10]

Match: Tyrone Smith vs. Hush with Aleister Essex – Tyrone Smith’s music hits the PA and the crowd gets excited. He makes his way down to the ring slapping hands with the fans in the crowd. As he makes his way down to the ring, JB updates us on Keith Owens’ condition, saying that he was taken to a local area hospital and that they don’t know anything further right now. Hush’s music hits, and everyone anxiously awaits the monster’s arrival – but the monster does not come. Tyrone is confused and asks the referee what the hold up is. Hush’s music plays again, but once more, no one emerges.

Finally, the big screen in the arena comes to life, and its Aleister Essex standing outdoors in front of the Hudson River. He tells Tyrone Smith that tonight, he could have brought Hush to the NAFW Arena. Hush could have gone out there, and Hush would have destroyed Tyrone like he’s done time and time before. Essex says the truth is, no one wants to see that, and furthermore, no one wants to see “Crazy Boy” in the NAFW anymore. He continues on that Tyrone has always been a joke and will always be a joke. He wonders if that’s what Tyrone wants his legacy to be? The handler of Hush says of course not, that Tyrone dreams of becoming the NAFW Champion like every scrub in the back. Essex adds that its time for Tyrone to have a reality check. Aleister issues an ultimatum – Tyrone will leave the NAFW tonight, or each and every week, Hush will maim someone near and dear to Tyrone’s heart.

In the ring, Tyrone yells “Never!” at Essex, showing off his never give up attitude. Essex begs him to reconsider. He tells him to go home and enjoy retirement with his girlfriend and child. Tyrone yells again that he’s not quitting. Aleister asks if this will change his mind.

The camera pulls back and Hush enters the scene with a person in a straight jacket with a hood on. The captive person is struggling to escape Hush’s massive grasp, but cannot. Essex pulls back the hood over the person’s head, revealing it to be none other than Tommy “Psycho” Smith, Tyrone’s little brother! Tyrone looks absolutely shocked at the sight of his brother restrained by the signature straight jacket, as well as being gagged. Essex leaves Tyrone with some parting words: This is what happens when you don’t listen to people that are smarter than you.

Essex pulls the hood back down over Tommy Smith’s head, then motions Hush to take him away. The monster does so… by picking Tommy up over his head, and hurling him into the Hudson River! As Essex maniacally laughs, the feed cuts out and Tyrone bolts from the ring, running up to the back, probably to try and get to the Hudson River. The camera cuts to the announce booth where both JB and Tom are shocked at what just happened, reminding us that was totally unauthorized by the NAFW.

[Time – 5:47]

Backstage – We’re backstage, yet again, and we see Twitch talking to Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels. He says that management told him they’re short on time this week, so no Twitch Challenge tonight. Twitch says he was very excited about this next challenge because they were going to take on the best tag team of all time, in his estimation – The Goods! Twitch says he’s really excited though because…

Just then, Dustin Thomas, with his brother "The Alpha Shane Thomas by his side, interrupts Twitch’s speech. Dustin says, “Yo Twitch, I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but the Old School Empire is the best tag team of all time! OF ALL TIME!”

Twitch becomes infuriated and says that Twitch is the one who does the interrupting around here! He says next week, the Rock ‘n’ Rex Express will meet the Old School Empire in the ring!

[Time – 1:56]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Mike Lane vs. Mike Stryker – The announcers remind us that this is an Oblivion re-match and that we’re in for a Pay Per View quality match tonight. “Mr. Old School Hollywood” Mike Lane is out with his Hollywood shades to massive jeers from the crowd. He takes his time getting down to the ring where literally he praises the spotlight shining down upon him. Up next is none other than “The Big City Hitman” Mike Stryker, who the arena pops HUGE for. The announcers remind us that Stryker must be pissed after the beatings he’s taken the past few weeks. Stryker throws off his sweatshirt and slides into the ring, attacking Lane before the official introductions can ever get under way. The ref calls for the bell to make this thing official.

The two have a very intensive match with Stryker laying the chops in hard from the start. Stryker also catches Lane off guard with a variety of suplexes and throws. Multiple times Lane bails to the outside to buy himself time to recover, and Tom proclaims that “Mr. Old School Hollywood” was caught off guard by Stryker’s blatant cheating and disrespect for the rules by attacking Lane before the bell. Stryker proceeds to take the fight to the outside of the ring after having more than enough of Lane’s delaying tactics, but unfortunately for him, that’s where Lane is able to gain some momentum, whipping Stryker into the steel steps, slamming his head off the announce desk, and dropping him rib first onto the guard rail. Lane rolls under the bottom rope to break the referee’s count, but immediately rolls back out to continue punishing Stryker.

Stryker hits a low blow on Lane and buys himself some time. Both men make it back up to their feet and go back to exchanging blows. The referee is threatening to count both men out, and this time it is Stryker who breaks the count by rolling back under the bottom rope. Lane grabs his ankle to try and drag him back out, but Stryker kicks him in the face with his free foot. Lane grabs his nose, probably worrying that it’s broken, giving Stryker enough time to get to his feet inside the ring. Stryker then runs to the opposite side of the ring, bounces off the ropes, and suicide dives through the ropes, tackling Mike Lane!

The referee slides out of the ring to check on both men as they’re down. The slowly come to and the ref begs them to get back into the ring. As the referee helps Stryker get up to his feet, Lane has already risen and is stalking him. The chosen one of Versus executive Phil Raines lets loose a Shadow Kick, but Stryker pulls the referee in front of it! The ref is out cold, and Stryker spears Lane and begins hammering him on the arena floor. Stryker grabs a fist full of his hair and throws Lane over the guardrail and into the first row of the crowd. “The Big City Hitman” then heads to the announce table and tells JB and Tom to get up. He rips the monitors out of position, rips off all of the fake coverings, and throws everything else off the table that he can. Stryker then goes back to the guard rail for Lane, but Lane pops up and eye gouges Stryker! Lane reaches over the guard rail and grabs some cables, then chokes Stryker with them from the front row!

Lane eventually tires out and slumps back over the guard rail next to Stryker. The two men crawl up to their feet, and exchange blows once more, having free reign of the outside since the referee is still out cold. They work their way back over to the announce table where they take turns slamming each other’s head on it. Lane, having the strength advantage (all things considered), picks up Stryker and drops him chest first onto the table. He rolls his opponent’s body all the way onto the table, and then surprisingly locks in the New York Cloverleaf – Mike Stryker’s finishing move! Stryker screams in pain as Lane applies the hold as tightly as he can. Stryker uses all of his strength to disrupt Lane’s application of the hold and is successful as both men collapse on the table top. Again they both struggle to make it up to their feet in the confined space of the table. Stryker gives it everything he’s got and makes it up first, despite the pain in his legs from the submission hold. He clubs Mike Lane in the back, and pulls him in for the Paradigm Shift piledriver at one end of the announce table! He tries to pull Lane vertical, but Stryker just can’t do it. Lane begins to counter, trying to back flip Stryker. But before he can, Stryker rolls across the back of Lane and grapples him from behind, surprising him with a German suplex through the other end of the announce table!

Both men are down and out as the crowd starts chanting “Holy Shit!” once again tonight. Neither man is moving, and the referee has started regaining consciousness. He sees the carnage on the outside and motions for help from the back. Another referee and a couple of backstage hands come out to check on the men, and the EMTs from earlier return. Both men are barely able to move, but they push away the backstage help as they both want to continue this match. The original referee pulls himself into the ring, and begins administering the count out. 1…2…3… This may be the slowest count out of all time, thanks to the referee’s groggy state …4…5…6… Both men start crawling toward the ring on their hands and knees …7…8… Stryker is there first, and he’s barely got enough leg strength to stand on his own two feet… 9… Lane is there too, and both men manage to crawl in before the referee ends this match on a double count out! Neither man has managed to rise to their feet though, so the referee begins another 10 count. By the count of eight, Lane is back onto his own two feet on one side of the ring, while Stryker is still pulling himself up by the ropes on the other side of the ring. Lane hobbles over near Stryker and stalks him, hoping to hit the Shadow Kick as soon as Stryker turns around. “The Big City Hitman” is finally up, and when he turns towards Lane, he drills “Mr. Old School Hollywood” with a Shadow Kick of his own! Lane is caught off guard as the kick knocks the wind out of his lungs! Lane collapses onto the mat, and Stryker collapses down onto his knees! Stryker flops over on top of Lane, and the referee makes the count. 1… 2… 3!

Stryker rolls over on Lane’s body, and the ref can barely raise his arm in victory. The EMTs and other personnel swarm into the ring to check on both men. JB and Tom, who are announcing from the time keeper’s table now, put over how crazy of a night this was, and that they’ve already ran over 10 minutes on Versus. They both shill how they’ve never seen this much chaos and carnage on Annihilation in ages, and that surely there is going to be a huge fall out on Annihilation next week, so everyone better tune in!

[Time – 23:34]

Quote

Quick Results:
Keith Owens d. Ashley Collier via disqualification
Mike Stryker d. Mike Lane via pin fall
Total tape time: 50:38

[KO Dave]

Some news 'n' notes on the last show from pwrumors.com:

- Keith Owens was taken via ambulance to a hospital immediately after his match. He apparently needed 27 stitches to close the massive gash on his head that the brass knuckles of Ashley Collier opened up. Doctors are advising him to take some time off of wrestling to let the wound heal, but chances are Keith will be back in action as soon as he's booked to be inside the ring again.

- Phil Raines was reported to be livid that Mike Stryker won in the main event. That means he lost his end of the bet with Hector Gonzales, so he no longer gets to book an episode of Annihilation, and Hector still does not get that 2 hour special because Ashley Collier lost his match by disqualification.

- Hector Gonzales was pretty upset with the stunt that Aleister Essex and Hush pulled, throwing Tommy "Psycho" Smith into the Hudson River with a straight jacket and hood on. A nearby boat picked him up nearly immediately before he could sink and drown in the river, and Tommy reportedly will not press charges as long as his brother can get his hands on Hush.

- Someone left a Snake mask on top of Andy D's bag in the locker room. When he returned from catering to find it, he lost his cool and went on a the war path, but Snake sneaked up behind him and started the brawl that Jaime Alejandro and Mike Castleberry broke up.

- The only match announced for the next episode of Annihilation is the Rock 'n' Rex Express vs. Old School Empire.

- Rumors are going around that someone in management will be addressing the actions of many people last show - this episode of Annihilation was one of the most violent in the company's history.

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #6
Only on Versus

In the Ring – No fireworks or music this week, as the show opens cold with almost the entire roster surrounding the ring. Everyone from Frankie the Hamster to Mike Stryker is at ringside, with the faces and the heels keeping their distance from each other. The only entities missing are Hush and his handler Aleister Essex. Inside the ring is NAFW owner, Hector Gonzales, and the Versus Executive that made the rebirth of the NAFW possible, Phil Raines. JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun remind us of the outcome of the events last week as we're treated to a brief video replay of those highlights.

Hector speaks first, explaining that he called the roster out here this week to set things straight within the Foundation. Last week’s show was a special showcase of only a few people, but it took things to a new level within the Foundation. The fans may cheer on the kind of conduct that we saw last week, and he understands things get intense out here, but we can’t be busting skulls, breaking tables, and throwing human beings into rivers on a regular basis. What Aleister Essex and Hush did to Tyrone Smith’s brother last week was simply obscene and the NAFW will not stand for it, and that is why Hush is suspended indefinitely and both he and Essex are barred from the arena indefinitely as well.

Phil Raines steps in to speak, saying last week Keith Owens, Ashley Collier, Mike Stryker, and Mike Lane all put on a hell of a show for the rest of us. Tonight, they’ll all have the night off to recover from last week.

Hector speaks again, and says other than to warn the roster to keep their actions in check, there is another reason he ordered everyone out to the ring. He says he knows they aren’t in this company just to have fun. They’re here to prove they’re the best in the world, and to determine who the best is, the company needs to name a champion. Hector says that’s why he’s decided next week, the Ultimate Showdown tournament will return, and everyone on the roster will have their shot at the Foundation Heavyweight Championship.

Phil says brackets will be announced later in the night, but up next, we will see Andy D and Jaime Alejandro versus Snake and Mike Castleberry. JB and Bear speculate about what the tournament match ups will be as we head to commercial.

[Time – 10:23]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Andy D and Jaime Alejandro versus Snake and Mike Castleberry – Jaime Alejandro and Mike Castleberry start this match off, with Castleberry ducking Jaime multiple times. Jaime lays into him with a series of power moves, but it’s only good for a two count. The two exchange some grapples until Jaime locks Castleberry into the Counter Strike, a half hatch suplex hold. Castleberry doesn’t give in and Jaime releases the hold, but floors Castleberry with a clothesline. He taunts Castleberry to get back up, then goes to throw another clothesline, but Castelberry ducks and follows it with a rake to the eyes, before diving and tagging out to Snake.

Snake jumps in and hits a series of drop kicks before displaying some of his lucha libre skill to Jaime’s detriment. Andy D becomes infuriated and is screaming for Jaime to tag him in. Jaime tries to get to the corner but Snake is just too quick, and levels him with a Poison Drop inverted neck breaker. Snake taunts Andy D and Andy tries to enter the ring to rush him, but the referee rushes over to restrain Andy D before he can get through the ropes. While this is going on, Snake throws Jaime into the corner where Mike Castleberry restrains Jaime and Snake delivers a series of punches and kicks that Alejandro can’t defend against. Snake mounts the top rope and goes for a hurricanrana, but Jaime is somehow able to counter. He pulls Snake upwards, runs to the middle of the ring, and drills him with a sit-out powerbomb. Both men slowly start to crawl as Andy D and Mike Castleberry prepare to receive the hot tags. Jaime tags out first and Andy D rushes into the ring. As Snake is still slithering his way to make a tag, Andy D runs and jumps onto his back like a railroad spike, then bumps Mike Castleberry off of the apron to the floor below.

The British superstar then slingshots himself over the top rope and drills Castleberry a second time on the outside. Andy D isn’t done though, as he grabs a steel chair and brings it back into the ring. The referee tries to stop him and the two get into a tug of war match with the illegal object. Snake jumps into the fray and attacks Andy, but Andy D is quick to gain control of that scuffle, and he throws Snake into the referee, dazing the ref and knocking the chair loose. Andy D then sets up the chair in the middle of the ring, and trips Snake up with a dragon screw. Using the chair as elevation, Andy D drills his knee into the side of Snake’s skull with his Dragon's Bite shining wizard knee kick. With Snake out cold, Andy D gets on top of him and begins to trash talk his opponent with a rage completely uncharacteristic of Andy D. He then drags Snake up to his feet, and in a shocking move, nails Snake with his own finisher on the chair, a Venom Sting RKO. Snake’s skull bounces off the chair and even dents the seat. Andy throws the chair out of the ring, then drags the referee over to Snake’s body, where Andy D covers. The referee is still groggy after being knocked down, but he makes a slow three count, probably not realizing what all exactly occurred in the ring.

Andy D rolls out of the ring and begins to head to the back. Before he can get to the ramp, his partner Jaime Alejandro grabs him and appears to ask him what the heck that was all about. Andy D brushes him off and continues on his way to the back, while Castleberry looks on at Snake in the ring, who is barely conscious at this point.

[Time 11:45]

COMMERCIAL

Backstage – Jaime Alejandro is walking in the back following his match where Andy D brutalized Snake. Phil Raines approaches him and asks him what the hell that was about out there. Phil asks Jaime why he let Andy D use an illegal chair and assault a referee after he and Hector just got done telling the roster to shape up after the last show. Jaime says it wasn’t his doing, and Phil Raines calls B.S. on that. Raines reminds Jaime that he’s a former Foundation Heavyweight Champion, but no one remembers him for that. Everyone remembers him now as an alcoholic out of shape has-been, and that’s why no on respects him, whether its young punks in the back or tag team partners in the ring. Phil asks Jaime if he’s ever going to step up like a man, or if he should go use Jaime’s contract as toilet paper. Alejandro doesn’t respond as Phil Raines walks away.

[Time – 2:17]

Match: Frankie the Hamster vs. Jason Cano – JB reminds us that ever since Annihilation came back on the air we’ve seen a lot of video packages introducing us to Jason Cano, and he has a chance to make a big impact tonight as the winner of this match will advance to the Ultimate Showdown tournament. Frankie the Hamster’s music hits, and Tom immediately criticizes the caliber opponent that Frankie the Hamster is. Following Frankie’s entrance, The Black Keys’ "Strange Times" hits the PA and Jason Cano makes his way out to ringside accompanied by his trainer and former grappling journeyman, William Murdoch. JB tells us what makes Jason Cano so unique and special is that he’s legally blind, yet is still a very accomplished grappler. Tom straight up asks if this is some kind of joke, as a guy in a hamster suit is fighting a blind guy. JB says he’s not the one who books the matches.

Murdoch accompanies in the ring and gives his grappler some last minute advice in the corner. He departs the ring and this match is underway. Frankie calls for a test of strength. From Cano’s corner, Murdoch shouts what Frankie is looking to do and Cano tries to engage, but Frankie comically pulls his arm away before Cano can exactly find where it is. Frankie seems to find this funny, but after a couple of moments, Cano leaps at the former children’s television star and drills him with a flying knee to the chest. Cano immediately shoots in with a double leg takedown, followed by a mount and a ground and pound on the hamster. Murdoch tells Cano to go for the armbar, but before he can, Frankie is able to roll and scamper out of being dominated. Both men get back to their feet, and as Frankie approaches Cano, Cano jumps and executes Lights Out, a standing Codebreaker on Frankie, who flops to the mat. Cano crawls over and hooks the leg for the pinfall victory. His cornerman immediately slides in and raises Cano’s arm in victory. He then reaches down and pulls up Frankie, then throws Frankie over the top rope.

Murdoch calls for a microphone and is given one. He says that he had high hopes when bringing Jason Cano into the NAFW. But tonight, NAFW management shook his confidence. He says Cano is a world caliber athlete, and not a freak show or pity case. Murdoch demands that Cano be booked against better talent than an “effing hamster.” Jason motions for the mic and his trainer places it in his hand. Cano says that he’s overcome every obstacle thrown in his way to make it to where he is today, and just making it to the big leagues isn’t good enough for him. He says he’s going to be the next Foundation Heavyweight Champion, and he will win the Ultimate Showdown tournament.

[Time – 3:56]

Backstage – Andy D is seen slamming a locker room door shut, leaving with his bag packed. He passes Twitch, with Rock ‘n’ Rex in the hallway, and Rocker asks what the guy’s deal is. Twitch tells him he doesn’t know, but they might want to figure it out, because he spoke with Hector Gonzales, and if Rock and Rex can beat the Old School Empire tonight, they’ll be eligible to compete in the Ultimate Showdown tournament, and one of them will face off against Andy D… and if they fail, then Brick and Mortar will get their spots!

[Time – 0:37]

COMMERCIAL

Match: The Old School Empire (Dustin and Shane Thomas) vs. The Rock ‘n’ Rex Express (Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels) – Both teams make their way out to the ring and Twitch tells them not to screw up and shame him, because at least The Goods were able to beat these punks last time around. Tom reminds us that Twitch shames himself just fine on his own. The match is a pretty competitive back and forth affair. Rocker played the face in peril and had to be bailed out of the Alpha Lock at one point, while the Thomas brothers stayed relatively fresh with frequent tags in and out, isolating Scotty from tagging out to Rex. At one point OSE had Scott Rocker set up to take the Alpha Class finisher, where Shane picks Rocker up into a military press facing the sky. Just as Dustin was about to come in off the top rope with a neckbreaker on Rocker, Rex Michaels superkicks Shane in the jaw, causing him to throw Rocker into Dustin. Rocker hangs onto the top rope instead of being flung to the outside after the collision, mounts the top rope himself, and lands a huge Rocker Dropper, a leg drop bulldog aka Famouser, from the top rope on Shane Thomas. Rocker picks up the three count!

Post-match, Rex helps Rocker to his feet, but then gets in his face like he’s mad about Scotty advancing to the Ultimate Showdown tournament. It’s a bit of a bluff though because he pulls Rocker in for a hug. Twitch seems flabbergasted they passed the Twitch Challenge this week. Twitch wonders if he manages Scott Rocker all the way to the Foundation Heavyweight Championship, if he can get his own title belt for being a champion manager. Tom is not amused by Twitch at all.

[Time – 10:33]

COMMERCIAL

In the Ring – We join Kramer in the ring. He announces that he’s been given the Ultimate Showdown tournament brackets, and he’s going to reveal them right now. He says that NAFW newcomer Jason Cano will get his wish to face tougher talent because he will go one on one with Tyrone Smith at the top of the bracket. Kramer says the next match on the bracket will be Ashley Collier against… Keith Owens! Following that is Shane Thomas versus Jaime Alejandro. Next up is former tag team partners, Ammo against Dustin Thomas. After that is Mike Castleberry versus Mike Stryker. The next match on the bracket is Rex Michaels against Mike Lane. After that is Snake versus Slush. And at the bottom of the bracket is Andy D versus Scott Rocker.

Kramer thanks us all for tuning in, but before he can close the show, Keith Owens’ music hits and the one they call The Difference Maker steps out onto the ramp. Owens’ head is bandaged from the brass knux shot the week before. He calls Ashley Collier a coward, and proclaims that next week, in the main event of Annihilation, he’s going break Collier’s arm like he should have last week. Ashley Collier’s voice then comes over the PA and proclaims Owens’ statement hilarious, because by Collier’s calculations… Owens won’t be making it to Annihilation next week.

Collier then rushes out from backstage and nails Owens from behind. Before Owens even knows what hit him, Collier has him at the edge of the stage. Owens tries to keep his balance but Collier shoves him from behind and Owens goes crashing off the stage onto some crates below!

As the show comes to a close, Collier looks down at Owens and motions that the Foundation Heavyweight Championship will be around his waist soon as JB ponders what consequences there will be for a roster that so blatantly defies their bosses' decrees.

[Time – 4:21]

Quote

Quick Results
Andy D and Jaime Alejandro d. Snake and Mike Castleberry via pin fall
Jason Cano d. Frankie the Hamster via pin fall
The Rock ‘n’ Rex Express (Scott Rocker and Rex Michaels) d. The Old School Empire (Dustin and Shane Thomas) via pin fall
Total tape time: 43:52

[KO Dave]

pwrumors.com is at it again:

- Many were said to be disappointed that the past card was "lacking" any big matches, despite the two tag team matches having a very high quality. That may explain why management made the decision for Owens to cut a short promo to close the show, that of course ended with him taking a bump off the stage at the hands of Collier. Owens was of course banged up from the spot, but is expected to compete next week.

- According to someone at Versus, the network is very uneasy about the edgier direction the NAFW has taken lately. But the ratings paid off as the special card two weeks ago pulled a record 1.1 rating. The last episode slipped down to a .81 rating, which NAFW executives were pleased about due to the general weakness of the show.

- Jason Cano, and his manager William Murdoch, were said to be legitimately pissed that after weeks of video promos to hype Cano, NAFW management debuted him against Frankie the Hamster. Apparently the time for the promo that was cut after the match wasn't scheduled.

- TheNAFW.Com has announced that the following Ultimate Showdown matches will take place on the next Annihilation: Ammo vs. Dustin Thomas, Andy D vs. Scott Rocker, Rex Michaels vs. Mike Lane, and as announced on Annihilation, the main event will be the first round match of Keith Owens vs. Ashley Collier.

[KO Dave]

The NAFW 2k9 presents: Annihilation – Taping #7
Only on Versus

Video – The cold open begins with a video of last week where NAFW owner Hector Gonzales and Versus executive Phil Raines discuss how the wrestlers need to stay in control of themselves and how maybe the Ultimate Showdown tournament will put their eye on the prize – the vacant Foundation Heavyweight Championship. The video then cuts to the end of Annihilation where Keith Owens said he was going to break Ashley Collier’s arm once and for all, before being ambushed by Collier and thrown off the stage!

[Time – 0:45]

Intro – The opening video plays with a quick montage of famous NAFW clips over the years as the opening to Silversun Pickups' “Panic Switch” plays us in. The clip montage finishes with some more recent clips, then the camera fades in to the new stage at the NAFW Arena in New York City. Laser lights, smoke, and some small sparkler pyrotechnics go off below the NAFWtron. The camera pans to various crowd shots. JB Mann and Tom “Bear” Kalhoun welcome us to Annihilation on Versus.

[Time – 1:00]

In the Ring – The commentators don’t get to say very much, because opening the show is Jane's Addiction "Superhero," signaling the arrival of Mike Lane. “Mr. Old School Hollywood” saunters out to the ring in his robe. Residing in Hollywood, California, the former Foundation Heavyweight Champion enters the ring, removes his robe after posing in the corner, and demands a microphone. With a single spotlight shining down on him, he says what we just saw in that opening video was a travesty. He asks if everyone has forgotten whose show this is. Lane reminds everyone this is his show. He is the star. He’s the one who is jet flyin’ and limo riding, not nobodies like Owens and Collier. He’s the one walking the red carpets. People pay to see him, and not anyone else. That’s why this is the last time he jerks the curtain. If he’s not going to be the main event star, then he might as well be out there making millions in the movie biz. But Lane says he’s here, not to prove he’s the best, but because he IS the best, and he better damn well be treated like it from here on out.

[Time – 3:00]

Match: Mike Lane vs. Rex Michaels – With Mike Lane already in the ring, Rex Michaels makes his way out to the ring, accompanied by Twitch, to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Freebird." JB reminds us Rex isn’t quite under NAFW contract yet, and he and his partner Scott Rocker have been competing in the Twitch Challenge to gain the management services of Twitch, as well as full NAFW contracts. Tom says he can’t believe Rock ‘n’ Rex defeated the Old School Empire last week to earn their spots in the Ultimate Showdown Tournament. Twitch gives Rex some parting words as the referee calls for the bell and the match gets under way. Both men match up fairly evenly size wise nearing six and a half feet tall and weighing in around 250 lbs. Obviously, the elder Lane has more experience under his belt as a former Foundation Heavyweight Champion. He takes Rex to task early on, dropping his opponent with some stiff clotheslines Rex attempted his Southern Comfort powerbomb early on, but Lane reversed it into a back drop. Rex rolls to the outside to try and buy some time to recover, and while Twitch is trying to give whatever advice it is that Twitch gives, Lane rolls out and slams Rex into the barrier, announce desk, and steel steps before rolling him back into the ring. That gains Lane some near falls once they’re back in the ring, but its not enough to put Michaels away. Lane then goes for the Old School figure four leg lock, but Rex is able to kick Lane away before its locked on. Lane then attempts to Irish whip Rex, but Rex reverses it. As Lane comes off the ropes, he drills Rex Michaels with a sudden Shadow Kick, leading to an elementary three count. Lane celebrates up the ramp, motioning for the world title around his waist as we cut to commercial

[Time – 4:13]

COMMERCIAL

Backstage – Amie Carmichael is at the interview staging area, standing by with the Old School Empire: Dustin Thomas and “The Alpha” Shane Thomas. Amie directs us to take a look at the brackets for the Ultimate Showdown Tournament:

Match 1: Jason Cano vs. Tyrone Smith
Match 2: Ashley Collier vs. Keith Owens

Match 3: Jaime Alejandro vs. Shane Thomas
Match 4: Dustin Thomas vs. Ammo

Match 5: Mike Stryker vs. Mike Castleberry
Match 6: Mike Lane vs. Rex Michaels, with Mike Lane advancing

Match 7: Snake vs. Slush
Match 8: Andy D vs. Scott Rocker

She asks them what they think about the possibility of them facing off against each other in the next round. Dustin says he looks forward to it, because he knows his bro is going to do the right thing and give him the bye, putting him at better odds to win the gold and get another reality TV gig: Who Wants To Date The Champion? Amie sarcastically theorizes that the women will be lined up around the block to audition for that. Shane tells Dustin to hold up, because that’s not gonna happen. Shane says last week was not good for him. Not only did Scott Rocker pin him, but his bodybuilding test came back less than clean, if we know what he means, so he’s got to win this tournament to get back on top. The two bicker back and forth about who would win between the two of them, and Amie tells them that first Dustin will have to get past Ammo, and that match is next.

[Time – 2:27]

Match: Dustin Thomas vs. Ammo – Ammo makes his way out onto the entrance ramp with his partner, Slush. Before they can advance down the ramp, Ammo turns to Slush and tells him that he’s going to do this alone. The two slap hands and Slush heads to the back. Dustin Thomas then makes his way out to the ring, flying solo without his brother Shane. JB and Tom remind us on commentary that these two were once tag team champions, but when they split, it was The Goods who walked away with all of the gold. The ginormous Ammo dominates the match from the outset, with Dustin constantly rolling away to the outside. Dustin manages to get some cheap shots in when Ammo gives chase on the outside, like making him run into the steel steps. However, Ammo finally puts an end to Dustin’s B.S. when he picks Dustin up and atomic drops him on the guard rail. Ammo rolls Dustin into the ring and immediately Dustin screams like his knee is injured from what Ammo just did. Dustin pulls the referee down and tells him to determine if his knee is busted. While he’s doing this, Shane Thomas runs down from the back and sneaks up on Ammo, who is still on the outside. He’s able to sneak on the Alpha Lock and Ammo begins to fade. With Ammo out of it, Shane rolls Ammo into the ring, and magically Dustin’s injury is gone. He crawls on top of his opponent and scores a dubious three count to advance in the Ultimate Showdown Tournament.

After the match, Dustin and Shane stomp away on the unconscious Ammo, but his partner Slush runs out to the ring. This doesn’t deter the Empire against their old rivals, but a man in a trench coat hopes the barrier, brandishing a crowbar. He slides into the ring and The Old School Empire think better of the situation and high tail it out of the ring. The lights briefly go out, and when they come back on, only the crowbar remains in the ring and the mysterious man is no where to be found. Slush picks up the crowbar with a confused look on his face.

[Time – 4:56]

COMMERCIAL

Backstage – Slush is walking backstage, still with the crowbar in hand, when he is approached by Mike Castleberry. Castleberry demands to know who the main in the trench coat was, and Slush maintains that he has no idea. Castleberry snatches the crowbar away from Slush and tells Slush he better be telling the truth because he’s going to get to the bottom of this.

[Time – 0:34]

Match: Andy D vs. Scott Rocker – JB reminds us again that the Rock ‘n’ Rex Express upset the Old School Empire last week. Scott Rocker makes his way out to the ring with Twitch, who is heated up over the fact that Rex Michaels lost to Mike Lane to open the show. We’re then treated to a replay of the tag team match last week, where Andy D planted Snake across a steel chair using Snake’s own Venom Sting RKO. Andy D then makes his way out to the ring. Tom says this mean streak of Andy D’s is way better than his lackadaisical carefree attitude he had before. JB says Andy D’s attitude change is just what Snake wants. Rocker and Andy D stand face to face. Twitch is shouting at Rocker to put Andy D away like he put Shane Thomas away last week. Andy D and Rocker stand nose to nose. Rocker takes a step back, runs his hands through his greasy hair, then flicks the sweat in Andy’s face. Bad idea. Andy D drills Scott Rocker with a Venom Sting, the finisher of Andy’s arch nemesis Snake, and Rocker is out cold. Andy paces around the ring, rather than going for the pin. After a few moments of contemplation, he pulls Rocker back up to his feet, then hits him with another Venom Sting. Now Andy D is heated, screaming to no one in particular “Is this what you want?! Is this what you want?!” Andy pulls Scott Rocker up a third time as the referee pleads with him not to hurt Rocker anymore, but Andy D drops him with a third consecutive Venom Sting. This draws Twitch onto the apron, yelling something at Andy D. Andy D walks over to him and grabs Twitch by the collar. He starts screaming at Twitch to throw in “that stupid towel” around his neck. The towel, humanized by Twitch, is named Blake Bouchard. Twitch, as brash as ever, doesn’t give in to Andy D’s demand. Andy walks back over to Rocker and drags him up for a fourth time. Andy D turns to nail the move one last time and stares down Twitch. Reluctantly, Twitch throws the towel at Andy D’s face. The referee calls for the bell, and Andy D advances in the tournament. Andy D lets Scott Rocker go, and he falls to the mat with a thud. Andy D slowly walks off with the crowd in absolute shock over what they have just witnessed.

[Time – 5:41]

Backstage – Jason Cano, the legally blind wrestling superstar, and his trainer William Murdoch sit in a locker room. After a few moments of chatter between the two, the conversation goes silent as Tyrone Smith walks into the room. Tyrone apologizes for interrupting, and says that he just wanted to wish Jason luck in their match next week. Tyrone extends his hand to Jason, but Cano doesn’t return the gesture. There is uncertainty over whether this is because of Cano’s blindness, or if he’s just being an ass. Murdoch stands up and gets in Tyrone’s face. The manager rhetorically asks if he’s the guy who once lost to a volleyball. Murdoch shakes his head in disgust, saying first the hamster, now this guy. Tyrone stands up for himself though, and says he’s been dying to get his hands on Hush, but since Hush is no where to be found, he’ll have no problems taking out his frustrations on Daredevil over there.

[Time – 2:03]

Backstage – We cut to Amie Carmichael, who is standing by with both Jaime Alejandro and "The Big City Hitman” Mike Stryker. She asks the men what their thoughts are on the Ultimate Showdown Tournament based off what they’ve seen so far tonight. Jaime speaks first, saying that he sees a lot of guys out there who are fired up and hungry. But he also says that he sees a lot of disrespect out there, and that makes Jaime sick. He says that he knows he’s had his ups and his downs in this business, but when he decided to come back for one more tour of duty, he didn’t come back just to coast. He came back to prove he deserves to be recognized as one of the best of all time, and he’s going to do just that by winning the Ultimate Showdown Tournament and the Foundation Heavyweight Championship.

Amie turns the microphone to Stryker next. Stryker says that ever since the NAFW came back, things haven’t been right. Stryker says he busted his ass before, winning the Chain Reaction match and the heavyweight title, then successfully defending that title at Oblivion. Then it was all taken away from him, and since then, he hasn’t felt right. Being fifteen pounds lighter without that gold without ever having lost it left a bad taste in his mouth. Stryker says he’s taken care of his issues with Mike Lane, and he’s ready to get back to the top of the mountain and to make New York City proud. He says whether he has to go through Lane again, or even through Jaime here, he’ll do it

As Stryker finishes talking, Versus Executive Phil Raines walks into the shot. He says that this scene is pathetic. He tells Jaime that he’s lucky to have a job, and if he were running this company, he would have put Jaime out on the streets a long time ago. Raines turns his attention to Stryker and reminds him that he’s not a free man. He tells Stryker he doesn’t deserve to be the champion after the financial damage he caused to Versus, and that he’s going to make sure Stryker doesn’t become the champion ever again. With that we cut to commercial.

[Time – 4:54]

COMMERCIAL

Match: Ashley Collier vs. Keith Owens – We start out with a replay of the end of Annihilation last week, where Ashley Collier ambushed Keith Owens and pushed him off the stage area. Ashley Collier makes his way out to the ring first, as cocky as ever. Before Collier can make it into the ring, Keith Owens runs out from the back and jumps him from behind. Owens’ head is wrapped with tape and so is his upper body, indicating some bruised ribs. Keith hammers away at Collier and whips him into the steel steps. The two men brawl all over the outside of the ring, culminating in Owens smashing Collier’s hand against the ring post, then stomping it on the steel steps. Owens finally rolls Collier into the ring and the referee rings the bell, officially starting the contest. It’s a typical back and forth affair between two high caliber athletes. Collier targets Owens’ bandaged midsection, and Owens goes after Collier’s arm and hand to try and prevent him from hitting that KTFO punch. At one point Collier went for the brass knuckles in his trunks, but Owens kicked the foreign object out of his opponent’s hand. Toward the end of the match, Collier does his the KTFO sans brass knux, but Owens falls and rolls to the outside. Later in the match, Collier exposes a turnbuckle and whips Owens into it. As Collier goes for his knockout punch in the corner, Owens dodges out of the way and Collier punches the exposed turnbuckle with all of his force. Owens then capitalizes and pulls Collier down face first into the turnbuckle. Collier flops to the mat, and Owens heads to the top rope where he launches into his Don’t Try This At Home shooting star press. It connects, but Keith Owens can’t hang on for the pin because of his injured midsection. He eventually crawls back and makes the pin cover, and it is good for a three count. Owens is in such pain though that he can’t even stand to have his hand raised in victory. JB and Tom hype next week’s matches including Jason Cano vs. Tyrone Smith, Snake vs. Slush, Jaime Alejandro vs. Shane Thomas, and Mike Stryker vs. Mike Castleberry.

[Time – 12:36]

Quote

Quick Results
Mike Lane d. Rex Michaels via pin fall
Dustin Thomas d. Ammo via pin fall
Andy D d. Scott Rocker via submission – corner threw in towel
Keith Owens d. Ashley Collier via pin fall
Total tape time: 42:09