Match of the Millennium

As the broadcast goes live, Lou and Tom are standing in the NFG studio on either side of an empty section of wall. TOM: "Ladies, gentlemen, and all of our other friends, we are back with another edition of the NFG rundown!" LOU: "Yup! I'm 'Loverboy' Lou Harris, this is Tom, and if you've been watching the weather forecast, you mighta guessed who our special guest is tonight!" TOM: "That's right, Lou! Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else, tonight, we are joined by none other than... BRIAN STOOOO-" LOU: "BRIAN STOOOO-" *KRAKOW!* Thunder cracks and the lights flicker before the wall between Tom and Lou explodes. *BUDAPESSSTTT!* A drum beat plays as the golden-haired adonis Brian Storm emerges through a pale cloud of drywall and hissing dry ice, hair blowing back as an industrial fan kicks in behind the camera. *PRAGUE PRAGUE PRAGUE!* Pyrotechnics explode on either side of Brian as he lifts his arms above his head, staring intensely at the camera as 'Man With A Plan' kicks in for about five seconds, the lights changing between shades of blue and white in time to the music. TOM AND LOU: "-OOOOOOOOORMMMM!" BRIAN STORM: "WARSAWP EVERYBODY?!" What appears to be canned applause but is actually the unplanned reaction of the entire stage crew rains down as Tom and Lou join in the clapping. After holding the stare at the camera and breathing heavily for a few more seconds, Brian suddenly breaks into a grin, demeanour changing to that of an excited kid. BRIAN STORM: "Oh, man, you guys! You have no idea how stoked I am to be here! High fives!" Tom and Lou both give Brian an enthusiastic high five. Both commentators and Brian take about ten steps to the right as the camera pans with them, positioning themselves around a screen with the NFG logo. TOM: "Welcome, Brian! It's good to see that you're looking well." BRIAN STORM: "Thanks, Tom! Speaking of, I'd like us all to take a moment of silence to remember a fellow fighter who was taken from our competition earlier and in a much crueller way than any of us would have imagined." Brian bows his head and clasps his hands Tom and Lou just go with it. First to raise his head again, Brian looks directly at the camera. BRIAN STORM: "Hated R, to me, you were always rated E for everyone." Brian bumps a fist against his chest. BRIAN STORM: "And tonight, we're all Canadian-Americano at heart." TOM: "Well said, Brian." LOU: "Shall we continue with the rundown before I get all emotional?" BRIAN STORM: "We shall, Lou. We most certainly shall." (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: CHEVY VERSUS BRAUN -=*=- TOM: "Brian, I know you never fought either of these two competitors, but I'm curious to hear your take on this match." BRIAN: "I dunno, man. I didn't watch it." LOU: "Really?" BRIAN: "JUST KIDDING! Of course Brian Storm would watch the climactic battle of one of his biggest fans! This one had all the classic wrestling hallmarks! It had a babyface! It had a heel! It had a motorcycle being driven down an entrance ramp! It had Chevy surfing down an entrance ramp!" TOM: "Is surfing down the entrance ramp a hallmark of classic wrestling?" BRIAN: "Look, a few years ago, I woulda said that the only way Chevy's entrance could have been any better was if the sleeves of her denim jacket had been ripped off. Now that I've actually nearly been dismembered by the machines they use to do that, though, I've changed my mind about the excesses of distress fashion. A+." LOU: "Sunshine City was a real eye-opening experience for all of us." BRIAN: "These two absolutely left it all in the squared circle. Sure, they might notta been 'wrestling' in the way that we think of 'wrestling,' but I was proud of the dedicated professionalism that these two displayed. Not to mention the most important thing of all: entertainment." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- Upon landing, that crackling red chi engulfs him, rippling over his form and bulking his immense body up even larger. "BEAST MODE!!" roars out large portions of the audience, his garnered fandom leaning into what's happening as they chant that out repeatedly while Braun's frame seems to bulk up more then a foot in height and his brown hair flashes out into a glowing red mane and large beard. A lion's tail even crackles into being, his garments shifting and sorting with the aid of chi to accomodate his gigantic form and his features becoming more truly lion like as opposed to the more 'mean looking Thundercat' face he usually has. "Yer gonna need a bigger spray bottle, darlin!" he thunders before dragging a massive arm forward and down again and then lunging at her with a chi dragging swipe that sends a huge swatch of energy scything behind his swinging arm as he attempts to club and claw it all into her with truly earth rumbling force. Chevy hadn't figured on the Gatling water-cannon holding the beastman at bay for long -- but it's a bit of a crowd favorite -- judging by the response from her cheering section -- and she's been on the defensive for a bit too long in this particular battle. The redhead draws in her breath, though, upon realizing that he's wise to her tricks -- and starts to get a -bit- nervous as she realizes she'd just flung most of her water supply at him in her ploy to slow him down. Gulp. Well no time like the present, she figures. Even as the roars of 'BEAST MODE!' begin to drown out her own fans' cheers, Chevy is already anticipating her response. He's bigger -- it's intimidating! But she's seen his true heart -- and she's determined to stand strong against him. To give him her best, just like she'd promised. One high-top sneaker slams into the mat. Water leaps from the mat into her right-facing bucket. Chevy twists the pole to a near-vertical, grounding its left end on the mat. She breathes a silent prayer that the material won't buckle from the stress it's about to endure. The air begins to turn very, very frosty, as crystallized clouds form from the breath she releases. In the very next instant, she can feel the heat from Braun's attack searing the air in front of her face, melting those same crystals from before... But then she sharply steps to her right, locking both her elbows as she keeps the pole in the same position. The water bolsters her motion -- fixing the pole on the top just as effectively as the friction from the mat anchors the bottom. The momentum from the strike is redistributed outward, as the metal of the pole shudders, turning a bright cherry red... And then she leans sideways into the inside of Braun's arm, forcefully pivoting the pole downward -- and leveraging him out of his determined charge! She rams her right elbow into his ribcage, keeping a firm hold of the bucket-boosted pole as she twists him down to the mat, pleased that her waterborne powers have allowed her to stand toe-to-toe with the hulking beastman -- and slam him down once more! Though... all that chi can't just -evaporate- with a successful counterattack. It still burns like heck! So the frosty freckled Farmville continues rolling with her momentum after slamming Braun down, rolling over top of him and twisting back to her feet on the other side of him. "Whoooo-ey! I thought I was jus' about done for...!" she shouts, to thunderous applause from both sides of the house. She whips the pole and buckets around into a quick revolution, giving the burly beastman an opportunity to recover -- and herself another chance to cool off! COMBATSYS: Chevy counters Raging Thunder Roar from Braun with High Tide. -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- TOM: "That was our first seed fighting one of our bottom seeds. Seeing how closely matched these two were goes to show just how tight the competition in the New Fighting Generation is." LOU: "Most of the time, it takes years to get to a place where you can almost guarantee a win over a newer fighter - and you can never count a real fighter out. Even with some rookies joining later on, the experience gap in the NFG really ain't that big." BRIAN: "Look, I just gotta say this: there's nothing more intimate than scoring a double knockout with somebody in a finals tournament. I predict these two will be dating by the end of the year." TOM: "This was indeed nearly a double knockout, but with the need for someone to advance and with Chevy the first to recover, she's the one who was deemed the winner. Apologies to the fans for the footage cutting off before that was established!" (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012302.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: BUFORD VERSUS IRIS -=*=- TOM: "Brian, I suppose we might as well talk about the elephant in the room." BRIAN: "There's an elephant in the room? Where?" LOU: "I think he's talking about Buford, Brian." BRIAN: "Look, Tom. I don't appreciate you referring to Buford as an elephant. I believe in body positivity, and besides, elephants are beautiful creatures. Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?" TOM: "I think it's fair to say that Buford has come on a bit of a journey since the Buford-Brian Battle on the Bus back in Sunshine City Round One. I was wondering what your thoughts were." BRIAN: "Look, Tom. I remember the Buford of Sunshine City as the guy who stood at the back of the line and let everybody else on the bus first. I remember him as the guy who was so excited to start the match that he dropped his sword and almost stabbed an old lady by accident. I remember him as the guy who vaped on a bus while it was in motion. But mostly, I remember him as the guy who didn't seem to know any better. And honestly, I still think he's that guy." TOM: "Well, why don't we roll the clip and you can expound on that?" -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- Extending one hand, Iris takes off toward Buford in a run, clearly intending to start the fight herself. Tracing a shape in the air, the magus's right hand closes over the shape in question, causing green light to peek out from between her curled fingers until she gets close to Buford and his, uh... vape cloud? Samurai fog? Smoke bomb? SOMETHING. "Kind of a shame," she admits, bringing her hand up and opening her palm, causing the gathered swirl of wind energy there to discharge, ideally blasting Buford away and gently pushing Iris backwards as well. "I kinda like the smell of patchouli." Buford's intense mask of righteousness slips, right before the blast. "Y-y-you like the smell?" Buford stammers a bit, blushing immediately as she brings her hand around. She was, after all, running into the rich smells and aromas of his vapors. And Buford had laboured hard in testing and sampling all the different flavours and scents, letting them roll around his mouth, nose, and body before choosing just the right ones. In this case, she picked the one that smelled like where his Aunt Maclanky worked, and she, too, partook in some of the magical arts much like what Iris did. Perhaps he would need to close closer to see if his opponent, too, had some special protective crystals with which to draw her power from. Buford cannot suppress a giggle, as he leaps up in the air, preparing his dodge. "Well m'lady certainly if you-" COMBATSYS: Iris successfully hits Buford with Eihwaz - Storm and Stress. ? Strange Hit! ? And then she blows him off. Buford lets out a high-pitched squeal as he is sent back into the ropes- no over the ropes. He has gone over the ropes. Fortunately, the Spanish announcer table breaks his fall, taking the brunt of the impact rather than the concrete floor. Collapsing down, he moans, as he staggers off the ground. Muttering furiously, he brings the hilt to his back. Letting the vibrations massage him, he returns back to the ring, floundering up. "You tantalizing tart! You wanton wench! How dare you toy with my heart by pretending to enjoy the savoury yet gentle flavours of my flavoured mists!" Buford explains, drawing his blade back as he rises up into a stamping run. "You must be brought to justice!" Buford bellows as he charges at Iris. There is no scented clouds now, but Buford had no interest in bringing them back at the moment. Clutching the blade high over his head, he begins some iaido inspired techniques by chop, chop, chopping the sword as he tramples in. "I have given a vow, not only to my girlfriend who is very faithful to me, but to my dedication to the art of my blade, not to allow myself to fall into temptation from even the most beautiful of females!" Swiping wildly in a flurry of slashes, he attempts to chase after the witch, all while roaring out loud. "So you will see that I will not so easily be seduced by your feminine willies, enchantress! Well, THIS escalated quickly. Careful observers may note that the wind Iris used to attack with also, ever so gently, sets her back down on the ground safely, giving her a second to prepare for... well, whatever's happening next, apparently. But perhaps Buford's most useful weapon in the ring, comparative to his blade or the vape fog, is the berserk speed with which he slipped from 'vaguely solicitous dork' to 'rampaging misogynist' because a woman hit him with... alright let's be fair, it was weapons-grade magical wind, BUT STILL. How could one not be thrown off their game when someone is calling you a wanton wench OR a tantalizing tart? Iris KINDA knew this was coming, but also, there's only so much preparation you can do, here. Knitting her brow, as Buford charges her, the magus summons a main gauche in her... well, left hand, hence the name. "Okay, now hold the bloody hell on--" Attempting to weave through the wild series of slashes is successful only to a point; the parrying dagger pushes one or two aside, but the rest -- either because of their speed or because of the brainworm that is Buford's instantaneous personality switch -- get through cleanly, sending the Brit skipping back across the mat hissing in pain, the parrying dagger having vanished. COMBATSYS: Buford successfully hits Iris with Soul of the Edge. Right, well. If that's how this is going to go. "First of all, it's *wiles*, you Canadian chav. And two, I am a LITERAL enchantress. It's my actual JOB." Extending her right hand, there's her typical flash of rainbow sparks as Iris's newly-fashioned truesilver replica of Joyeuse flickers into being. Setting herself at garde, she stares down Buford. "And if I'm tempting you to do ANYTHING, it's to lie face-down on the mat and *stay there*!" she snaps. Tracing her left finger along the blade, the rapier suddenly crackles with violet lightning, before Iris leaps toward Buford in a... pretty good fencing fleche, actually, before spinning into a lateral slash, and then a final upwards cutting disengage. Is it good that he annoyed her so early? Well... we'll see, won't we? -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- BRIAN: "Look, Tom. I'm just gonna come out and say that maybe the New Fighting Generation wasn't the best setting for a guy like Buford to learn how to socialize with women. Now, when two souls meet in the heart of battle, it can be a truly beautiful thing. But when you and your opponent don't hold mutual respect for each other, you might as well be battling on a bridge without structural supports. And as my fight with Ichika showed, that's no way to build a sustainable production line." LOU: "I was almost following you there." BRIAN: "Look, Tom, what I'm saying is that Buford has a gift. A gift for bringing out the worst in everyone around him, including Buford himself. I fell victim to it myself when he cut off all of my hair in one savage attack combination. I wrote a formal apology to all Canadians afterward for using their national identity as an expletive." LOU: "I'm Lou, actually." BRIAN: "Sorry, Lou. I was on a roll, and if I'm being truly real, I tend to think of you and Tom as a single gestalt entity configured in symbolic tandem to generate momentum through the format of debate." LOU: "It's okay, so does everybody else." TOM: "Not everyone, Lou, but certainly most. So, Brian, would you consider Buford to be the ultimate heel of the NFG?" BRIAN: "Well, Tom, I think a lot of what makes a heel is how you handle a loss. You can't just go down cleanly. You have to keep that heat going for next time. Let's see how Buford handled losing this match." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #2 -=*=- "You know," Iris says, slowly, bringing a hand up which is briefly encircled with a nimbus of light, as she traces not just one, but a number of runes in the air in front of her, "If you could have just expressed your understandable emotions in a reasonable way and NOT accelerated instantly to the rest of it, we could really have had a moment here. Genuinely." Above the sobbing samurai's head, Iris has summoned... well, weapons. A number of them, actually: spears, swords, hammers, maces. Not enough of them to make Type-Moon sue her, but certainly enough that if Buford doesn't get out of the way, there's a real good chance this might be the piece de resistance on this fight... especially since a few of the weapons are also charged with lightning, wind, or frost. Iris's gaze, as blue-eyed as Buford's own, stares at him coldly. "Masculinity is a *blight*." The weapons fall. As he stands there trying to suck on his broken blade, Buford grits his teeth, staring with bloodshot eyes at the weapons being set up. Shaking his head, he trembles. He would just have to dodge them. He would just dodge them all. He would dodge them all and leap off each one, and build up by leaping from weapon to weapon by charging at Iris. And he would -cut her in half-. Completely bisect her. And everyone would cheer, because they hate her. They hate her as much as Buford hates that dirty, Witch. And then he would go to Djamila, and cut her in half. And then everyone. Everyone in his way, every one of those dirty girls that Iris called in. Chevy, and Sarah, and Nixie, and Tamaki, and Djamila, and Ichika. All of them, every single one. They would pollute themselves in terror, and he would cut every one down. He would just have to time it just right. Buford makes his leap, as she declares about men. "What does a woman know about a real man's emotions-" Buford is cut off as he jumps chest first into a sword. His timing was off, as it was. And that leaves him open for the the barrage of weapons come down upon him. It is fortunate that Buford is not cut in half, but the storm of weapons tear into him, swirling him around like ice in a highball glass. Until mercifully, he is dumped out on the ring. Unmoving. Bloodied. Laying flat on the ground. His blade and his hilt seperated into two pieces. COMBATSYS: Iris successfully hits Buford with Laguz - Rain of Blades ES. -**- LUNATIC HIT!! -**- He wasn't getting up yet. Hmmm. Breathing heavily, Iris watches Buford get pinballed out of the arena, a result she was truly not anticipating in any meaningful way, and there's just... maybe the tiniest touch of... hmm. Regret isn't the right word, but perhaps 'modulated concern' works. Whatever righteous indigntion was powering her to this point, without either 1.) a literal target or 2.) Buford's distinct talent for dredging fury out of the mines of sympathy, is starting to fade. Plus let's be real, dropping enchanted weapons out of the sky on someone is like, kind of a lot, if you think about it, no matter how angry you are. Blinking, as if she were waking up from being asleep, the Brit furrows her brow. "Was that, uh..." A beat. "Maybe I overdid it, there?" But no, here comes the announcers to declare her the winner. She's a little confused and off-guard! It would be terrible if, like, a meteor hit the arena now or something. Buford was standing up again. It was a slow, quiet rise. First, he sits up. He was staring, blank. He wasn't quite sure what happened. Clearly, he had jumped. There was a shape on the ring. A woman. No. A female. He remembers. His eyes open wide, bloodshot. He rolls over. He can't use the hilt anymore. But with two hands, he grabs his broken katana blade. Cutting into his flesh. He stands up. Now, the audience begins to shout and scream. There was time, as Buford rolls under the ropes. Gripping it, he staggers up, raising the blade high over his head to -stab- Iris in the back. And finally, he can't take it anymore. He has to let it out. He screams, charging at the magician. "REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" ..well, fuck. It's the crowd's reaction that is the saving grace, here; it's hard to hear people gasping like a Wii Sports Bowling crowd and, occasionally, pointing in a vague direction and not go: what's all this then. With perfect, horror movie slowness, the astonished Iris -- who frankly, had no clue this fight would go the way it did -- turns and sees Manly Vengeance coming for her. Broken sword. Broken dreams. Possibly a broken finger in there, who can really be sure. She has mere moments to decide what to do with this shrieking banshee of an individual. But what's the right call? What would... Oh. OH. Mint's words float back to her on some spiritual wind: 'The trick is, if that's what you get, then just... run with it.' Iris extends a hand, complete with trademark rainbow sparks. She readies her weapon as Buford bullrushes forth. And when he is close enough, JUST ENOUGH, to blunt his momentum, a singular sound echoes through the suddenly silent arena: [SQUEAK] Iris slings the gigantic squeaky mallet over her shoulder like a prospecter on their way to the mines, as Buford's body slides to the floor and the ref announces, for all to hear: "Your winner: Iris! Oooooosterluuuuuuuund!" -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- ALL THREE: "Damn." TOM: "Well, I think that answers the question. Shall we move on to the next match?" LOU: "I think we'd better." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012298.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: BUCK VERSUS LAUREL -=*=- LOU: "So, tell me, Brian. Whaddya think about Buck and Laurel?" BRIAN: "Buck is just a swell guy, Lou. I'm sure we all can agree that I was the odds-on favourite for the RUMBLE until I got lost looking for the Team Blaze backstage area after a trip to the bathroom, but if I wasn't gonna win it, he's definitely a guy I thought could win it and I could go, 'Yeah, that's okay, buddy.' As for Laurel, she's basically just like the Swedish version of a luchadora. All wrestlers know that everything changes when you put on a mask. You can become a totally different person. Like Brian Swarm." TOM: "Yes, but doesn't Brian Swarm still espouse the same environmentalist values you, Brian Storm, would claim as your own? Whereas Laurel is a nice person who puts on a mask and, well, this happens." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- After pulling down and stepping over the top rope - tall as she is, she just couldn't help trying it! - Laurel quickly finds her way to her corner and sinks into it, as if the turnbuckles will provide some measure of shelter from the violence to come. She's happy to let Buck pump up and show out for the crowd as he will; all the while, she focuses on long, deep breathes and staring a lidded-eye hole into the canvas. This continues through the music dropping off to be replaced by the announcer; it continues through the bell ringing even, with the sole exception of a brief tugging war between her and the weapon sheathed at her hip that leaves her wielding a full-on /sword/, and the sheathe dribbling a little water onto the mat. Then, she swallows, cupping the mask in her free hand and carefully lifting it against her face. Dark fingers splay across its surface, holding it in place for a beat; despite a lack of visible straps, it doesn't budge after she takes her hand away. And the arena lights never quite find their initial brightness despite being well past her dimly lit entrance, leaving the ring itself illuminated in stark relief against the shadows blanketing the audience-- an island of combat floating in a deep, dark sea. The next time she breathes out, she becomes a blur thundering across the mat, intent on seizing Buck by the throat and hurling him into the corner she just emerged from with an utter lack of care or precision. Sheer darkness emanates from the eyeholes of her mask. Buck as usual is ever the sunny optimist, and even is his current opponent doesn't seem much on the pre-match banter he still shoots her one of his beaming smiles and extends a thumbs up in her direction. "Let's give the people the show they want, yeah?" He says in his slight country drawl. His eyes flick towards the mask. He's heard some rumors from his teammates, but his smile flickers slightly at the air of menace Laurel seems to exude when that mask is placed on. And some people call his thing a horror show. Still a fight is a fight and even as the light dims a little, Buck's eyes seem to glint as he keeps the locked on Laurel, like a cat's eyes gleaming in the night. And for a moment he seems to move like a cat, too. Even as Laurel gets her hold on him and send him across the arena, he seems to twist in a way that makes him seem almost boneless for a moment, stopping himself, by landing in a three-point stance with one foot back against the turnbuckle, a hand and the other foot on the mat, and his other hand placed atop his hat to keep it on his head. COMBATSYS: Buck blocks Laurel's Aggressive Throw. "Ain't the chatty sort, then?" Buck quips, his smile flashing back at full brightness. "Guess it's all business then." -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- TOM: "I mean, how in-character do you have to be to throw someone around a wrestling ring by the throat?" BRIAN: "Come now, Tom. Chokeslamming people hasn't been a heel move since the Haggarmania era. It's just way too cool not to cheer." LOU: "Seconded. Besides, you wanna talk about monstrous? Check this new trick from Buck out." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- Venom streams explode one after the other against Laurel's body, each one driving her progressively closer to the floor until she's down to one knee, shoulders heaving with the effort of breathing as wild, lethal nature rips through her supernaturally enhanced form. It turns leather into spindly tatters dangling from her shoulders and leaves luminous green visibly pulsing through her veins. The first time she tries to stand, it drives her right back down, weaving unsteadily and threatening to topple over at any moment. The sword, however, offers just enough support to keep her from crumpling entirely. It sends gentle shudders through the canvas when she plants its tip against the mat-- and given a couple seconds of taut, silent effort, she manages to force herself into a hunched, standing posture with its help. When she starts to tip backwards, a quick hand against the ropes keeps her from falling-- and when she pushes off from the ropes, the momentum helps to drive her forward, spinning through thundering, increasingly swift steps as her bracing blade becomes a whirling onslaught of arcing strikes. As Buck returns to his feet, he doesn't seem overly inclined to get out of the way of Laurel's sudden slashing assault. Much as she did with his clawing frenzy, he instead just braces himself, bringing up his arms in front of him. It's not a true guard though, and he doesn't slide out the protective scales either, instead letting his arms take slice after slice. COMBATSYS: Buck endures Laurel's Monsters Ball. He hunches forward slightly, his grin still plastered to his face despite ribbons of crimson blood flying in front of him. He tenses himself, shifting one foot a bit furth back to brace himself as his back and shoulders begin to swell, the serpentine scales on his face pouring down over his torso in a cascade. "Sorry if you're watchin' this, Chevs." He mutters as his back and shoulders seem to suddenly explode outwards and near a dozen mosterous heads burst free on the end of sinuous snake like necks, each one some sort of reptilian monstrosity. Then in unison they open their mouths, esposing venom dripping teeth as they let out a echoing roar. Then they start to strike. Snap. Snap. Snap. One after another they chomp and bite at the masked swordswoman, coming from each and every angle as they try to sink noxious fangs into flesh. Meanwhile, it seems all that Buck can do is to brace himself and keep the assault focused on his target, his teeth nearly grinding together at the focus he's keeping on the attack. Rearing back for another strike, Laurel is greeted with an abruptly exploding phalanx of dripping maws slithering from Buck's torso. A sane person - even a fighter - would likely hesitate-- or better yet, retreat and reposition in the face of so many deadly sets of venomous fangs. When Laurel lowers her weapon, it's in favor of snatching one of those snakes in the hopes of twisting it brutally off-target. It's to reorient the blade to try severing even more heads from the writhing mass before they have a chance to bite-- COMBATSYS: Buck successfully hits Laurel with #Ultimate Hydration ES#. And in a matter of moments, her destructive efforts at protection are overwhelmed. What seems like an endless array of snapping snakeheads latch on, bite, and smother the towering, masked woman until she's utterly lost within their depths, leaving her facedown on the mat and visible between thrashing scales in fleeting moments. Facedown, still; unbreathing, with the sword held in the loosest of grips. Facedown, still, unbreathing-- -- melting -- shrinking, clothes and weapon and all -- into a bubbling, sparkling, bluish-gray pool that refuses to seep into the mat and disappear. It -- she -- spreads impossibly across the canvas, rising to the point of covering Buck's ankles as she begins overflowing past the edges of the ring, only for violent eddies to begin stirring her newly liquid form. In a matter of seconds, violent eddies become waves crashing against Buck's body until one of those waves suddenly /explodes/ to his eye level and beyond, a rising wall of water charging towards the wild paragon as unseen forces shape its twinkling mass into an enormous, semi-solid effigy sweeping her weapon towards Buck's center in a rising arc. -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- BRIAN: "Wow. They really went all out on the special effects budget for this one!" TOM: "They, uhh - they actually just did all of that." BRIAN: "Oh, right. We'll keep it kayfabe. My goodness! Has anybody mentioned the words 'horror show' about these two before?" LOU: "Almost every time that Laurel competes." BRIAN: "Well, she does some top shelf monster heel work. Buck is one of those guys I wish I'd had the chance to square off with. How cool would it be to get spat on by a human snake?" TOM: "Not very cool at all, I'd say." LOU: "Not on my bucket list, either." TOM: "Maybe we shouldn't mention buckets in relation to Buck." LOU: "Augh, I'd almost forgotten about that." BRIAN: "What? Did I miss something?" TOM: "Let's just carry on." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012308.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: SARAH VERSUS ICHIKA -=*=- TOM: "Now, here's a match that was pretty much the opposite." LOU: "I dunno, I thought the way that Ichika took Sarah apart was pretty terrifying." TOM: "Yes, but they were both really nice about it." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- "It is good to see you, Kuzumi-san." Ichika says with a smile as the young woman touches down into the fighting arena. The crowd go wild for her opponent too, of course. Everyone has their favourites! And that only makes Ichika more excited. There's a lot on the line here for both of them, but now that the moment is finally here, Ichika finds those doubts and fears fading away, as they so often do. The fight was the only thing that mattered now; finding her way through it, walking that Warrior's Road. "Let's give it our all!" And then the announcer shouts, "FIGHT!" And Ichika bursts forwards. Her hand finds the hilt of her sword as she rushes to close the distance with the capoeira expert, knowing that she's going to need to do her best to get inside that guard as quickly as possible. The sword flashes out, carving a glittering arc through the air as she seeks to slash down the outside of Sarah's left thigh, a testing strike! How would the DJ respond to this probe of her defenses... "Good to see you too!" Sarah says with her trademark smile. "Let's give it our all and remember that, whether we win or lose, it doesn't matter, because we're challenging ourselves and learning how to improve ourselves!" She claps her hands together twice and says, "Let's get this party started!" As soon as the announcer gives the order to fight, Sarah immediately gets into the ginga, moving from side to side as she watches Ichika come at her. Her instinct is to attempt to defend against it, but she's a little too slow and she winds up getting hit by the blade, leaving her reeling back in pain for a moment. COMBATSYS: Ichika successfully hits Sarah with Quick Strike. Sarah looks and sees that her jeans have been cut and she's bleeding a little, but she rubs at the wound briefly to try to reduce the bleeding before looking up again. Despite being hurt, she's still got that smile on her face. "Looks like you got the best of me, but now that I'm aware of your abilities, I'm more alert than ever!" With that, Sarah drops down and attempts to deliver a sweeping kick towards Ichika's ankles. -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- BRIAN: "This one was confusing. Who was I supposed to be booing? If I don't know who to boo, then how do I know who to cheer for?" LOU: "This was kinda babyface on babyface. Genki versus genki." TOM: "Oof. I shouldn'ta downed those shots so fast." LOU: "They were coming hard and heavy. Two 'give it our alls' and a 'Let's get this party started.'" BRIAN: "What's this about?" TOM: "It's the NFG drinking game, Brian. Sorry, I guess it's not really your thing, being a teetotaller and all." BRIAN: "Maybe that's the key to understanding how a fight between two babyfaces works. It's why I could never work as anything but a tweener. Somebody's got to set things into black and white for everyone." LOU: "This one was pretty quick. Sarah just couldn't seem to make anything stick or put up a defense against Ichika. Young or not, that gal's one to watch out for in this tournament." BRIAN: "Oh, I could have told you that. After my match with Ichika-chan, I truly felt she was destined for the finals. I mean, the finals of the finals." TOM: "Time will tell, though. After all, we've had some major upsets in the bracket already..." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012303.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: JUNKO VERSUS COCO -=*=- TOM: "...such as this one." LOU: "'Upset' is definitely the operative term, regardless of whether you thought Junko or Coco was the favourite coming in." TOM: "Yes, indeed. However, as contractual employees of Professional Fighting Worldwide, all we can say about that is that the New Fighting Generation is committed to the safety of its competitors and audience members." LOU: "Uh huh. On an unrelated note, ever seen heat-resistant glass melt like butter?" -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- "Prepare yourself, Coco-san! And, um, apologies in advance!" And with that ominous final comment thrown in the fight has begun! The temperature in the center of the arena suddenly spikes as the miko's irises start to glow. The crimson orbs of her dead eyes blaze to life like burning coals, swirling pools of orange and red color that mix together like molten iron. Scarlet flame erupts around the girl's hands engulfing the pale delicate skin with such eagerness that her own flesh starts to burn and blacken almost immediately. Taking the initiative, Junko pulls her hands in tight at her side, each one cupped around the other. The neon flames roll inwards into her palms, condensing down into a marble sized glimmer of power suspended between them. Brilliant streams of bright red light flicker from between her splayed fingers as the power builds while twisted black tendrils of something foul and corrupt writhe and coil around her fingers and wrists like living things. "Nrrraaagh!" All of the meek friendliness evaporates from the miko's expression as she channels the raw power of Suzaku's fiery hate through her body. The budding psychic would easily be able to sense the overwhelming amount of raw emotional power being brought to bear. That isn't just some sort of chi-based flames that she's calling forth. There is a palpable sense of malevolence that wasn't there before, something that is both eager and hungry for the destruction gathering at her call. Junko's lips peel back in an almost animalistic snarl of fury as she focuses that vileness into a single point. The pain of wielding the flames of an angry god is something that she has grown familiar with but never immunized against. Suzaku makes sure that every scorched nerve-ending and every inch of sensitive flesh seared into ruins by her use of his power will regenerate so that she can experience this agony anew every single time. For all the dramatics involved, it takes only a couple of seconds for the miko to go through the motions. Her hands draw back, flame and light spring forth between her hands, and then with a wordless shout of fury that isn't entirely her own, this miko thrusts her hands forward at Coco with swift and violent intent. What spills forth from that seed of blazing red can only be described as a deluge of fiery death. A solid beam of scarlet neon light five feet across and equally as tall erupts from Junko's hands like the main cannon of a futuristic battleship. A wave of heat dangerous enough to be deadly all on its own washes out in every direction, the air rippling like a mirage in the desert. The blast lances across the arena in a flash, slamming square into the Plexiglass barrier with enough force and heat to bow the dense barrier outwards as it starts to melt like candle wax. An apology for the violence about to ensue? That's the sort of thing that Coco would have offered in her first few weeks in the competition. That's so sweet. Everyone's clearly got this Junko really wrong. Coco gives a mirthful little giggle and a dismissive flutter of her fingers. "Oh, ta, babes! No need, though. I'm sure it won't be any worse than what those lot have done, and I've yet to receive an apology off of any of -" Perhaps she missed the first part of what Junko said. About preparing herself. She's also apparently forgotten about the bell. "Oh, goodness!" COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Junko's Shakkahou. What Constance Coalbridge sometimes lacks in situational awareness she at least makes up for in self-preservation instinct. Her gauntleted forearms and one of her knees come up to protect her body and face as the wave of crimson heat comes hurtling in her direction, preventing the flame from striking her directly. The diverted burning wroth catches hold of elements of Coco's clothing as she strains to think cold thoughts, her psychosomatic body control doing its best but unable to cope with the reality of Junko's fire as well as it has against other sources of energy in the past. Feeling the hood of her vest start to grow warm, she rips the garment off and throws it to the mat before stamping on it whilst patting out her smouldering shorts. Smoke rises off of her armguards and kneeguard as she grimaces and grits her teeth. -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- LOU: "Also the beginning of the end for Coco's new look, which I was personally in favour of." BRIAN: "At least it was easy to tell who was the heel and who was the face here." TOM: "Is it?" BRIAN: "Well, one of them nearly burned down the arena. That kinda makes them the heel by default. Excellent audience interaction, though." LOU: "Have you guys heard about the rumours circulating about what happened with this match?" TOM: "I'm not sure we should even go there, Lou." LOU: "Well, somebody posted this clip shortly after the fight ended." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #2 -=*=- The video is a bit hazy, what with all the smoke, but the sound picks up well enough. "Hey, congratulations on your win, Junko!" Chevy glances over at Hawksley -- estimating that he'd probably notice her blue-eyed gaze more than the firebrand. She flashes him a half-smile -- with a tinge of apology. She casts her voice to him -- a little more quietly. "Y'all take good care of 'er, okay? Lemme know how she's doin'..." The hayseed may not be on the greatest terms with Coco, but she still has some concern for her well-being. Enough that... well, she turns her attention back to Junko. She may have shed some clothes -- but she does sound like she's getting a bit big for those britches. The battle's over -- the best she can do is to help convince Junko to take a break. "C'mon, girl, let's mozy on outta here. I think you done earned yourself a slice of strawberry shortcake, at the very least...!" She smiles, hoping that the emotion carries through her voice even if Junko can't see her face. "My treat." -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- LOU: "And somebody online commented that this looked a lot like Chevy was rewarding Junko for nearly burning Coco to death with strawberry shortcake. And that it looked like that was an -expected- reward. As if Chevy had -promised- Junko a slice of strawberry shortcake -if- she took out Coco in a brutal way." TOM: "Come on, Lou. Chevy immediately posted a video in support of Coco's recovery. She clearly had no hard feelings toward her." LOU: "But that's exactly what you'd do to cover yourself if you'd just taken a hit out on your rival. Continuing the pattern of discreetly attacking Coco after that perfectly legal kick from Sunshine City." TOM: "But that's insane, Lou! Chevy's one of our most beloved fighters, and with good reason. She's always so positive, and her new outfit is really cute." LOU: "And as soon as Coco gets another new outfit, it gets destroyed! One by Buck, another by Junko. Teammates of Chevy's. Coincidence? I think not." BRIAN: "Look, I would like to be an impartial mediator in your current debate, but I'm going to have to side with Tom here. Chevelle Beaumont is a true babyface. She'd never resort to the kind of heel tactics that you're implying. If she had a problem with Coco, she'd want to settle it in the ring, without anyone's face getting burnt off." LOU: "Yeah, maybe. Or maybe we've got an actual mastermind on our hands, running Team Thunder like a mob queen. ...And I'd totally dig it." TOM: "Well, as Constance Coalbridge was hospitalized with severe burns after this match, we at Professional Fighting Worldwide and the New Fighting Generation would all like to say: 'Get well soon, Coco.'" BRIAN: "And remember, Coco, if you're horribly disfigured by your injuries, you can always come back with a badass mask for a vengeful heel run." TOM: "That's, umm... sound advice, Brian." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012299.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

Finals R2 Rundown: Kenzo vs Ayala -=*=- RUNDOWN: KENZO VERSUS AYALA -=*=- TOM: "Speaking of new grooves, how cool was Kenzo's new entrance?" LOU: "Should we listen to it again?" First / Last by Dujeous starts playing over the stream as the clip of Kenzo's entrance rolls. -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- The song opens with three hits on the snare before a piano and bass guitar come in with sounds that originate from funk while a hip hop beat plays underneath. (Dujeous - First/Last) About 20 seconds in, rap lyrics come in as Kenzo walks to the ring, waving to the crowd with the barriers preventing any repeats of his last fight. By the time song reaches the hook, Kenzo slides into the ring and gets to the center. o/~ 'We don't do this just to pass time' o/~ Kenzo holds his hands wide open as he takes in the cheers and the boos. o/~ 'So when I blast mine' o/~ Kenzo turns his palms upwards as he sends electricity up into the air. o/~ 'Put your hands up' o/~ Kenzo continues to send the stream upwards as he puts his hands up in the air. o/~ 'Like it's the last time' o/~ The ninja cuts the stream of electricity off as he looks out into the crowd. o/~ 'You know we birth rhyme' o/~ Kenzo brings his hands close to himself near his stomach while electricity jumps from hand to hand. o/~ 'And even though it hurts, I'm' o/~ Kenzo then covers his entire body in electricity, looking downwards to the mat. o/~ 'Rockin' for you like it's my first time' o/~ Kenzo then points to the crowd as the electricity jumps from his fingertips towards the crowd but never going beyond the limits of the ring. He then spins around while continuing to point as if to say that it's for everyone in the crowd. After Kenzo completes the 360 degree turn. The electricity and the music cuts off simultaneously. -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- Tom, Lou and Brian stop grooving and imitating Kenzo's moves as the footage finishes. BRIAN: "Look Tom, there's nothing more important than having a cool entrance when you're competing in a wrestling arena." LOU: "Or at least one where you don't fall down the entire ramp." BRIAN: "Look Tom, that's just a risk that professionals take when they push their entrances to another level. Kenzo clearly had his game face on, and that's why he won." TOM: "What about Coco, who had a rather spectacular entrance and then lost so badly she had to be hospitalized after the fact?" BRIAN: "Look Tom, if you're going to pick a song about being victorious, you're just asking for a loss. That way, the fans who think you're being egotistical see you got what you had coming, and the fans who love it will be shocked by the drama." LOU: "What about picking a song about the death of the Thunder God while dressed like the titular Thunder God? Is that asking to get struck by electricity?" BRIAN: "Look Tom, sometimes, mistakes are made." TOM: "I hear you, Brian." LOU: "Like when Ayala tried to offer Kenzo a chair." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #2 -=*=- "Oof," Ayala landed after her fist glanced off Kenzo's weapon, tumbling and bouncing off the ropes of the wring itself, throwing her back into the ring on her back. It definitely bounced him back, but her flying punch did not land. Damn. "Ayala impressed--Gadget man came very far," she whips her head around, realizing that Kenzo has been saving his strength over there and she just used a lot of hers on that. She needs to throw a wrench into the mix here. She grabs a chair leaned up against the side of the ring, from over the edge and hauls it up, still folded, she half spins as she hurls it toward Kenzo with all her might! The colorful NFG branded folding chair sails right toward the Ningeneer! "This is exciting!" declares Kongou, unfolding his arms and leaning forward abit. He rests both of his hands against his knees as he peers towards the ring and then glances up towards the various oversized monitors placed throughout the arena to give a better view of the action to those further away. "They seem evenly matched...." he adds, musing as much to himself as to any listener close enough to hear his basso rumbling voice...which is pretty much everyone around him. "Whoever wins this will have a victory well earned!" Kenzo finds himself confronted by a flying chair. Kenzo put so much into defending that really heavy punch that he wasn't prepared to deal with a chair to the face. *KLANG!!!* COMBATSYS: Ayala successfully hits Kenzo with Beast Toss. Stumbles around, slightly dazed before he finally gets his feet back under himself. "Alright, then." -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- BRIAN: "Look, Tom. Professional wrestlers have been offering each other chairs for decades, and it's never gone well." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012300.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: DJAMILA VERSUS GENIE -=*=- TOM: "Now, we all remember how the first match between Djamila and Genie went." LOU: "I swear a disembodied voice from above said something about a flawless victory after that match." TOM: "Actually, that was one of the prisoners. Brian, how do you face up to an opponent who defeated you without taking so much as a scratch?" BRIAN: "Look, Tom. First off, I've never had an opponent defeat me without taking a scratch. But if I did, I'd train my ass off. I'd lift twice as many reps, I'd run twice as many miles, and I'd drink twice as many protein shakes. It would be disgusting, Tom. So whatever Genie does for training, I'd say she needed to pump it up." TOM: "Well, she certainly pumped it up somehow. She got off to a shaky start once again, but here's where the tide started to turn." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- The crowd is cheering them as they really go at it. Djamila enjoys that. It finally sinks in it's for her. Well for her and her opponent. Her fans cheering on. Upon landing, she does a spinning kick. Which is not about strength in this case but seems more, about reach and speed. "I don't think I would like to get hit with your energy." She says as she finishes her kick. Genie seems downright bewildered as Djamila jumps over her kick, but she doesn't linger on it as she once did. Instead, Genie backsteps and repositions, aiming to put herself a little further away when she has a moment to breath and plan her next move. It pays off when she sees Djamila's kick coming this time and reacts appropriately. With a flash of pink energy, Genie tosses up a shield of psionic power, deflecting the incoming kick and pushing back against Djamila with a sharp thrust, hoping to throw her off balance. COMBATSYS: Genie deflects Light Kick from Djamila with Bouclier De Galahad EX. "I did it," Genie mumbles to herself. "Thank you! I think." She says more loudly. "I have been working on strengthening it!" -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- BRIAN: "Nicely played, Genie." LOU: "She really started to turn it around. Djamila even admitted that she was getting worried." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #2 -=*=- "Ok, I need to center myself." Djamila stands back up, and turns her senses on, simply observing and centering herself. "But damn, good job. You're making me worried here." Maybe she shouldn't say this, but Genie definitely earned it. COMBATSYS: Djamila stops moving and focuses herself. "I am glad," Genie says, "I would not want to disappoint after you have made it this far!" Genie rolls her tongue in her mouth, her muscles tensing. "Nor can I disappoint myself wit h a poor showing myself!" Genie surges with power again, pink psychic energy building up around her aura then focusing into a sphere in front of her. The sphere roils and reshapes, popping into the shape of a sword before she launches it forward at Djamila! "You're not disappointing at all." She admits truthfully. She is still focusing when Genie surges with power. She gets ready. COMBATSYS: Djamila fails to reflect Courechouse EX from Genie with Power Strike. When the sword projectile is sent toward her, she prepares to send it back, using the wind as before, but this time, the energy sword, goes right through and impales in the chest and she falls on one knee, feeling the pain and feeling drained. "Fuck." -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- TOM: "This must have been a weird one for you, though, Brian. On the one hand, you've got the scrappy underdog. On the other hand, you've got her opponent practically cheerleading for her the entire time. Who do you cheer for?" BRIAN: "Look, Tom. It depends on how Djamila plays it. If she's obviously overdoing it, cheering her for every hit she lands, it's condescending, and she becomes the de facto heel. But if she's being sincere, I guess it's nice." LOU: "Personally, I draw the line at demanding an ovation for your opponent after you beat them. I'm sure a lot of our fighters woulda found that patronizing." TOM: "I disagree, Lou. She clearly thought Genie had given it her ass in that fight and deserved applause." BRIAN: "Look, Tom. I agree, and I'm sure Hated R would too. Djamila isn't the first person to demand applause for her opponent, and I hope she won't be the last." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012301.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)

-=*=- RUNDOWN: HAWKSLEY VERSUS NIXIE -=*=- LOU: "Okay, guys. Let me posit a situation to you. Earlier in the day, your girlfriend has been horribly injured in a fight with a crazy shrine priestess. It's four hours later, and your girlfriend is in the intensive care unit at the local hospital. Is this an appropriate reaction?" -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #1 -=*=- The opening bars of Go! Fight! Win! by Hawksley's favourite band, Ash can be heard through The Arena's speakers. That's his cue to enter the ring. He gets to his feet and heads in that direction, taking his time with the entrance, so he can soak up the roars from the spectators. There's girls (and a few guys) screaming his name, there's banners that people have bothered to take the time to make, there's even t-shirts with his face on and pairs of yoga pants with his name on the arse. It's fecking amazing. He stops to salute the crowd, punching the air, blowing kisses and jumping up and down in time to the music. By the time he's reaching the ring he's buzzing for the brawl to begin. "Alright there, Nixie?" he greets the girl waiting for him with a grin. "Have you missed me, cailin?" -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- TOM: "Come to think of it, Lou, he did seem unusually upbeat considering the traumatic events of earlier that day." BRIAN: "Look, Tom. Sometimes when your feelings are too intense to take, you've got to put yourself in the headspace where it's just another match. Like whatever's going on outside the ring doesn't exist. Hawksley showed what it really means to be a wrestler. Coco's not his kayfabe girlfriend, so all he was thinking about was how to put on the best show for the crowd." LOU: "Either that, or he was drunk as a skunk or high as a kite. Knowing Hawksley, probably the former. I mean, he certainly had his usual booze flask on hand." TOM: "Maybe he was getting ready in case he had to headbutt some hand grenades." LOU: "Oh, yeah, we can't not mention the incident in the RUMBLE last time these two met." TOM: "We've got a clip of them discussing that incident during the match." -=*=- FOOTAGE: HIGHLIGHT #2 -=*=- "It wasn't a problem to me. You know, besides getting my face blown off" Hawksley chatters back. "But safety issues and people's love lives are the two top topics of discussion in the en eff gee." As Nixie's little legs kick out at him in a bid to escape, the lad from Eire tenses his fit frame to foil her, earning himself a fresh bruise in the process. He tries to lift her high above his head to free himself from her flailing and if able, he will then throw the goblin across the ring or possibly even out of it! COMBATSYS: Hawksley successfully hits Nixie with Power Throw. - Power hit! - Yeah, Nixie's not at all hard to lift if you have a decent amount of physical strength. She find herself getting thrown into the ropes as she tries to keep herself from going flying out of it. It takes a moment for her to pry herself free from them and come to her senses. -=*=- END FOOTAGE -=*=- LOU: "Man, I love watching people get literally thrown around the ring." BRIAN: "I've got to say, Hawksley was lucky to come out of this with both eyes in working order." TOM: "That's right! You've got history fighting Nixie. And this was also a rematch of our first Finals at FightFest." LOU: "And Hawksley completely flipped the script this time. He totally blew Nixie up, and he just about did the same to us." TOM: "I maintain that Hawksley was the bigger menace in this fight, and he's not even the one who brings bombs to every match." BRIAN: "Look, Tom. As long as none of our spectators get hurt, or try any of this at home, at the end of the day, we're all just doing our jobs. And sometimes our jobs involve trying not to get blown up by a small green woman, any way we can." LOU: "Like diving under the announcers' desk, for instance." TOM: "Well, it seems that some of our most reckless fighters are carrying through to the next round. Hopefully the destruction doesn't escalate further." LOU: "So, any final thoughts before we roll the scroll for next round?" TOM: "Well, Lou, we've seen all of Team Frost eliminated already, and only Hawksley left to represent Team Blaze. Metal only lost Sarah after John Doe dropped out of the competition earlier, and Hated R was eliminated on a technicality." LOU: "A technicality that may have saved him a trip to the burn unit." TOM: "Thunder won all of their matches, putting them in a strong position to potentially take the win." LOU: "Metal definitely can't be underestimated, though, and Hawksley just might be the dark horse in this race." BRIAN: "I'll definitely be supporting my fellow Blaze member." (A link to the full match appears below: http://motm.kicks-ass.net/log/idx/0012301.shtml) (Continued in the next post!)