Stable Wars, Week 2

[T.O.]

From one end of the spectrum to another, in more ways than one.

Stable Wars, Week Two:



Venue: Albany Civic Center, Albany, Georgia
Date: September 7, 1988
Event: NWA Clash of the Champions III: Fall Brawl
Participants: Stable Upstart and CHOICE of Valet or Manager (only one)

The Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by World Championship Wrestling. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to the World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event.

The first Clash of the Champions was held on March 27, 1988 by Jim Crockett Promotions and was entitled NWA: Clash of Champions. Jim Crockett Promotions was sold to Ted Turner and renamed World Championship Wrestling in 1988, and in 1991, World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the NWA, whereupon the Clash of Champions event was renamed Clash of the Champions. WCW continued to air the events until 1997.

Credit once again goes to Wikipedia. I miss you, WCW.

Mike Rotunda and Brad Armstrong are our inspiration for this week's Stable Wars contest. These two impressive young wrestlers kicked off the third installment of Clash of the Champions with a 20-minute bout that ended in a draw.

With that in mind, Stable Wars moves to the deep south, in Albany, Georgia. That's not the only extreme, however. This time, stable upstarts look to impress and perhaps show that they belong, as all 16 upstarts are in singles action tonight!

Quick note: You may choose to use your stable's valet or manager, but NOT BOTH. Also note: If you miss the write-up deadline, you will be forced to 'wrestle' alone.

Shelton Benjamin (LHARR) vs. Teddy Hart (Swanton Bomb)

John Cena (ca$hmoney) vs. Edge (Mazza)

Mr. Kennedy (chris_k) vs. Sting (T.O.)

Robert Roode (Kafu) vs. Lex Luger (TheAman)

Jimmy Jacobs (Son of Shockey) vs. Nigel McGuinness (sheepster)

The Big Show (Coolio) vs. Bobby Lashley (Top Shelf)

Chris Jericho (Xanman) vs. Rick Rude (EB4)

Main Event: Bill Goldberg (Deception) vs. Samoa Joe (Saint Steve)

All match write-ups are due in this thread by 10 PM Central time on Thursday, April 30. All votes are due in Son of Repoman's PM box by 10 PM Saturday, May 2.

See the discussion thread for a special announcement pertaining to this contest.

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UPDATE
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[LHARR]

Shelton Benjamin (2004) vs Teddy Hart (2007)

Leader Pep Talk:
When I decided to put together this stable of athletes, you were at the top of my list. You are the most talented athlete in the wrestling world today. Tonight, you have a third generation wrestler in Teddy Hart. In my mind, he is no competition. You have the ability to adapt to every style imaginable. You cannot let this spot monkey steal the victory. Take this very serious. I'm gonna have Coach Backlund escort you to ringside. Not just so he can help guide you when you are feeling lost, but to keep an eye on either Hart or Natalya. Yes Teddy has the bloodline, but you Benjamin have the gift. And that is TRUE, Damn TRUE!

Mindset:
I am very confident going into this match tonight. The pep talk Angle gave to me does add pressure, but that I can deal with. I've learn to deal with pressure back in college, where I became an All American in both track and wrestling. This is my breakout year, and I have already beaten some top notch performers. I've beaten Triple H, Flair, and Jericho this year alone. Coach Backlund will be out there to help me if I get into trouble, and make sure that this is a fair match. With Coach Backlund at my side to lend a helping hand when I need it, I don't think there will be No Stopping Me.

Strategy:
Coach Backlund and I have been watching tapes of Teddy Hart all morning. Angle was right, Teddy Hart is a spot monkey. He relies too heavily on acrobats. I definitely have the advantage going into this match. I have the size, the technical skills, hell I might even have the speed advantage. I want to make this a fast pace match, just because I know it will be exciting and because I know I can. But Coach Backlund wants the pace to be slow. He thinks that by grounding Teddy I will take away his one dimensional style, and I agree. Backlund wants me to use my size and power in this match. Expect a lot of powerbombs, suplexes, and backbreakers. My main focus is to work on the spine (back and neck) of Teddy. I know that after working the spine it will slow him down, so climbing the turnbuckles and springboards will be too difficult. Using submission moves like the bearhug, camel clutch, and even the crossface chickenwing that Coach has taught me will definitely cause some serious damage to the spine. If Teddy somehow gain the upperhand, expect me to stop him with my speed, agility, and flexibility. Just like Teddy, I am pretty confident in the air. My leaping ability hasn't been seen in professional wrestling at all. If he can somehow muscle up enough strength to climb the turnbuckle, I will simply leap to the top and bring him down with an overhead suplex. Should he try to springboard off the ropes, I will use my leaping ability to stop him in mid air with a dropkick. Or use my power to catch him and turn it into a suplex or powerslam. I might even kick his head off his shoulders with my Dragon Whip Kick. Or take whatever breath he has left when I nail the Stinger Splash. When I know I have him where I want him, I'm going to finish him off with a perfect T-Bone Suplex.

There Ain't No Stopping Me Now!!!


wordcount: 618

[Steve Monroe]

Coalition X is all sitting together watching tapes of Bill Goldberg.
Cornette: Joe this is pretty simple. Avoid brawling with the man and outsmart him. Goldberg is big, strong, quick, but he is sloppy and dumb. You are faster and smarter than he is so play to his weaknesses. Attack his legs when possible and do everything in your power to frustrate him. Step to the outside when you need a breather. Goldberg always telegraphs his moves use this. He sets up his spear with an Irish whip, we always does his stupid constipation face before he hits the jackhammer avoid these moves at all costs and choke him out.

Mindset: Joe is going into this match knowing he is an underdog. He is undefeated just like Goldberg and wants to keep it that way. Joe doesn’t fear Goldberg in fact he wants this match. Just like everyone else in Coalition X he feels like the big companies have been overlooking the young guys for a long time and this is just another chance to prove himself. He doesn’t respect Goldberg either in fact he thinks with all the potential Goldberg has he doesn’t take wrestling seriously as everything seems to be handed to him. He is gonna choke Goldberg out.

Strategy: Goldberg is a heavy brawler high impact guy. He uses lots of momentum in most of his moves. How do you take that away you ground him. Joe is really going to rely on keeping his distance early in this match until Goldberg makes a mistake and Joe can make use of a few chop blocks. After Joe starts on the knees/legs of Goldberg it should be hard for Goldberg to get around the ring and hit a lot of his high impact clotheslines. If his knees get hurt he can still hit the spear but it shouldn’t be as devastating, not to mention lifting Joe up for a Jackhammer. Joe is not called the Samoan Submission Machine for nothing, his ground game is much much much stronger than Goldberg’s so that’s where Joe wants this match. Keep him down then CHOKE HIM OUT. Ring the bell match over.

Manager: Cornette will be going down to the ring with Joe. Cornette’s roll is very simple distract distract distract. If Goldberg bounces of a robe try to trip him. If Joe is getting pinned close to a rope put his leg on the robe. If Goldberg hits a spear or Jackhammer jump on the ring apron to distract the ref. Pending on who comes to the ring with Goldberg will depend on what Cornette does to the person. If it is Harley Race, Cornette will try to get him caught cheating. Harley has been notorious in slipping people stuff in the ring. If it is Stephy, Cornette will try to chase her off with his tennis Racket. As far as managing goes Joe will have an advantage over Goldberg when it comes to Cornette.

word count: 495

[Swanton Bomb]

So, ‘The Prince of Harts’, Teddy Hart, versus Shelton Benjamin? Give me a break. Shelton, you really think you can defeat this third-generation superstar? You’ve got no chance. You’re looking at me, the grandson of Stu Hart, the nephew of Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart. I grew up in this business. I’ve been wrestling since I could walk, I’ve had the experiences of Stampede Wrestling, and I grew up in an environment where most of my family was working hard in The Dungeon. I know I have what it takes. The question is, do you?

No more smalltalk. Let’s get down to the strategy.

Teddy knows that he is a high-flyer by heart (no pun intended), so the strategy is not in changing his move set. His strategy is to change Benjamin’s move set. Shelton uses a lot of kicks as part of his offense and defense, so why not stop those? Without his legs, Shelton won’t be able to counter any high flying moves, and if he holds his knees up whilst Teddy delivers a Triple Bypass or Hart Attack? Well, he won’t be getting up from that. Teddy plans to use the Sharpshooter wherever possible amongst other leg-based submission manouvers. A lot of dropkicks and the occasional missile dropkick will also be aimed at the knees, brining down Benjamin’s speed and defense.Also, Benjamin won’t be able to lift as much weight, thus making the T-Bone Suplex weaker than usual.

The secondary target is the stomach – The Triple Bypass, Hart Attck, Hart Attack 2.0 and Corkscrew Elbow Drop are all focused on the stomach, and hitting these on an already weakened torso means the end, possibly causing internal bleeding. A lot of punches and dropkicks will be focused towards that area, as well as the basic bearhug and splash.

But Teddy also has one key advantage – one of the greatest managers ever, Jimmy Hart. Jimmy will use his megaphone to blast insults towards Benjamin and also keep asking if he wants to give up, affecting his mental status. And who says using weapons against other managers is banned? Jimmy will take out Bob Backlund with the Megaphone, thus Shelton (and hopefully the referee) will be distracted, thus giving Teddy a chance to hit a low blow on Benjamin.

Although… it probably won’t do any harm.

[ca$hmoney]

Hogan's Heroes are in their locker room with a fired up Hulk Hogan. Hogan said he is embarassed at his loss to Raven and he has dissapointed everyone here and the fans. It's up to John Cena to avenge that loss and prove that Hogan's Heroes are no laughing stock.

Cena knows Edge is a rising star, and this certainly will be a tough match. Cena will be aware before the match, expecting Edge to attack him from behind and never losing his focus. Once the match starts, Cena will use his superior strength and stay all over Edge. He will keep him close and focus on the neck of Edge, which has been injured several times in the past. Using various headlocks and chinlocks, Cena will wear Edge down and break his spirit.

Cena will make sure never to turn his back on Edge. He is the Ultimate Oppurtunist for a reason. If Cena ever loses track of Edge, he will bail to the outside of the ring where he cannot be pinned. Cena will also be careful to avoid knocking the ref down, which could lead to a con-chair-to or low blow from Edge.

If Edge starts to get the advantage, the beautiful Torrie Wilson will be at ringside. Edge has been distracted by women such as Lita in his career, so the a hot blonde like Torrie will surely catch his attention.

By the end of the match, both will surely be spent and it will come down to who wants it more. Cena loves the business and will do anything to get on top. Edge will be ailing from excruitating pain in his neck that has been focused on the whole match. Cena will be able to trip Edge up with a drop toe hold and lock on the STFU for a submission victory.

[The Maz]

Undertaker talks to The Darkside backstage saying that last week he gave the fans the show of their lives but it meant absolutely nothing. Akbar carries on that wins and losses are not important, match of the week is not important, the important thing is to cause havoc. Tonight we will send a message and we will send it to that fan pandering lound mouth John Cena. Edge will make a statement here tonight and that is a guarantee you can take to the bank. Akbar says he will also be at ringside to make sure the plan works.

Edge and Akbar's tactics are simple here. Cena is still a young genetic freak who has a lot of power but only three and a half holds. Speed, agility and conditioning will be the key for Edge who will not be looking to end the match quickly but rather try and drag the match out to tire Cena down. Akbar will look to get involved as much as possible by distracting the referee and Cena. Edge is determined to get hardcore on Cena wherever possible, even if it risks a DQ. Edge will target the shoulder of Cena if he gets the chance for a clean chairshot. Win, lose or draw, Akbar has vowed that Cena will not walk away from the ring and if that means he has to break out his infamous fireballs or ochestrating a group beatdown of Cena after the match, then so it be.

[Deception]

The main event... Goldberg vs Samoa Joe. Undefeated vs Undefeated. In a way, they are polar opposites in the ring. The fact is, Samoa Joe has NEVER faced anything like Goldberg before. Samoa Joe may be undefeated, but that is in the lowly X-Division of TNA and lesser organizations. Goldberg has plowed through some of the best WCW has to offer.

Goldberg's strategy is the one that he always employs, that hasn't failed him yet. Come in strong and plow through the competition. Power move after power move. Goldberg knows that the only way Samoa Joe has a chance is if he gets grounded and is able to wear him down with submissions. Well, good luck with getting Goldberg off of his feet. Joe won't even be able to apply his signature Musclebuster on Goldberg. Joe is also known for bringing stiff strikes and kicks. Goldberg knows this. He also knows that he is stronger, more muscular, and will stiff Joe right back. A kick to the head from Goldberg could end a career... Goldberg will try to end it early with an array of quick power moves that even Joe can't match.

Harley Race will accompany Goldberg to the ring. He is not only the best offence, but in this case, the best defense. If Cornette tries to get involved in any way at all, Harley will take his racket and shove it where the sun don't shine. Cornette is a minor inconvenience that can be taken care of if he gets out of line. Harley will also seek every advantage he can get for Goldberg, such as distracting the ref, giving him foreign objects, or even slapping Joe across the face if the opportunity comes.

When the time is right, Goldberg will plow through a battered Samoa Joe with a massive Spear. Then it will all be over but the crying.

[EB4]

Let us begin.

Today's next example: "Lionheart" Chris Jericho.

Disadvantages: Jericho is a fast, sudden wrestler with a good grasp of Lucha-style and Japanese style wrestling. Judging by his alleged "Man of 1,004 Holds" moniker, the guy is as sound as they come technically. Jericho is also quite resilient, much like a certain Heartbreak Kid.

Advantages: Rude is bigger and stronger and much more ruthless. While Jericho can be ruthless by his attacks on Rey Mysterio, Jericho made his name pushing around cruiserweights, yes he is a cruiserweight but he was always the biggest of the bunch. He will not be able to push around Rude, who is 6'3 250 pounds of lean muscle. Jericho has rarely faced a man that was able to do to him what he did to other people. Rude has an advantage mentally, as Jericho has rarely planned for someone with this kind of advantage.

Synopis: This will be a match between two complete showmen. You already know that Rude is busting out the airbrushed tights, Madusa on the crotch, Jericho kissing Rude's ass on the back. This is guaranteed to infuriate both Jericho and Madusa should he bring her. Rude tends to have a profound effect on women, well save for Cheryl Roberts but she was married. Rude on the other hand is bringing Larry Sweeney, the only individual who can offset Jericho's wacky antics and is probably as equally flamboyant as Jericho. Larry's main job is to upstage Jericho and annoy him by taking attention away from Jericho. Jericho hits that top rope, Larry gets on the apron and throws a fit, shaking the ropes while doing so for a sneaky assist to Rude, things like that. Speaking of Managers, I don't see how Mr. Fuji will help him. Fuji usually managed either Asian wrestlers or big powerful wrestlers who follow his command without much effort. Jericho obviously isn't Asian, and is more independent minded than say...Demolition and the Orient Express. Besides, until Yokozuna showed up Fuji had little success as a manager.

Strategy: Very simple strategy for an overall simple man that over estimates just how good he is at this point and time. Ground him and break him methodically and surgically. Work on the head, neck, spine and knees. Lots of slams, backbreakers, leglocks, blows to the head and of course piledrivers. The knee attacks are to offset his high flying ability and to make sure Jericho can't use his speed and quickness against him. The spine attacks? To make it harder to hit Rude with suplexes as a result of it being too painful to execute them. The head and neck, well I shouldn't have to elaborate on that should I? Eventually, the Cowardly Lionheart's fight will be beaten out of him, and then he'll receive a spine-bending, neck traumatizing, match ending Rude Awakening. 3 seconds later and the Canadian Sweathog will know what a real upstart looks like.

[TheAman]

In 1987, a young upstart joined forces with a stable and quickly rose to the title ranks in the NWA. That man was Lex Luger, and he really was the Total Package. With a blend of speed and power, and the backing of a great stable, he quickly captured the NWA US Title. While it’s a different stable, Luger still is the same great upstart, and still has a great stable behind him. The Torture Rack became a feared finisher in that year, as he ran through countless opponents.

Robert Roode on the other hand is pretty much the polar opposite. After becoming Robert Roode, hailing from Wall Street, Roode couldn’t get anything going in 2006. He couldn’t even beat Eric Young, and that was with the help of Ms. Brooks. The fact is, Luger has more speed than Roode, and more power than Roode. 230 pounds is nothing when he was putting guys in their 270s-280s up in the torture rack. He also has a better head on his shoulder than Roode. While Luger was running through opponents in a calculated fashion, Roode was getting frustrated by the likes of Eric Young. When he lost to Young, he lost his head. Roode worries too much about what happens outside the ring, and that hurts him inside the ring.

Luger will keep the match moving, starting off with some hard clotheslines and lariats. He will also use some of his big knee lifts right off the back to take Roode off his feet. When Roode starts slowing down, that’s when Luger will employ some of his hard forearms, straight to Roode’s back. He will continue working on Roode’s back throughout the match, using the forearms, scoop slams, as well as his military press slams to keep Roode grounded. When the time is right, he will scoop Roode up, and put him right into the Torture Rack, forcing the submission.

If the unthinkable happens and Roode gets the advantage, that’s when the x-factor, Debra, will come into play. Debra has no problems distracting people with her puppies. While most likely she won’t be needed, she’ll be there to neutralize whoever is at ringside with Roode, whether it’s Lita or Paul Bearer, make sure they don’t cheat, as it’s the only possible way Roode can win against anybody. And if, on the highly unlikely chance Roode starts to win, it’s just a quick jump onto the apron so the ref can get a look of her puppies. If this starts to happen, Roode will get distracted, lose his head, and from there it’s an easy win.

[T.O.]

Sting is an absolute fireball. Speed, agility, quickness - he has it all. Take every advantage he can get from these attributes. Stick and move, bust a groove.

The lovely Miss Elizabeth is just that - lovely. A an such as Kennedy is likely prone to being distracted by such a sight, so convince Miss Liz to use her...assets...to the Horsemen's advantage. Ask Ted DiBiase if you don't know what I mean...

While Sting is confident and assured, Kennedy is the polar opposite - brash, cocky, arrogant, and prone to mistakes. Much like Flair did to Orton, have Sting get inside Kennedy's head. First and foremost, can that stupid entrance of his:

I'd just like to remind you that I weigh in tonight at 246 pounds. I hail from Green Ba...OOF!

Attack him at this point, and throw him off his game. He'll lose focus once his script is flipped, if you will. Attack NOW. Stay on him with an aerial attack. Flying dropkicks, diving crossbody blocks, running lariats galore. Design a gameplan to keep Kennedy on the defensive utilizing Sting's massive speed advantage.

Kennedy is still very raw at this stage of the game, so as long as Sting can stay one step ahead, it's all gravy, baby. Once Kennedy is worn down, Sting can start the slow beatdown. Snap mare DDTs, spinebusters (thanks Double A!), bulldogs, focus on weakening the upper body now. Design an attack on the sternum and solar plexus, shift to the skull and spine, and set up the Stinger Splash.

Once the Splash is utilized, Sting has this in the bag. Just to be safe, however, it's time to go for the kill. Stinger. Death. Drop.

Now, in most instances, Sting would go for the pin here. But if he wants to be a Horseman, he needs to let his opponents know never to cross paths with the most dangerous alliance in all of professional wrestling ever again. Make him SCREAM. Make him wish he'd never been born. Prolong the agony until you hear Kennedy say those rare words: I submit!

How: Scorpion Deathlock, of course. At this point, Kennedy's defenses should be worn down. Just in case, however, don't be afraid to borrow a page out of the Ric Flair handbook. Stomp, pull, twist Kennedy's knees and lock on the deathlock.

Kennedy: And the winner of the match...........STIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

...


...

...

STING!

[Top Shelf]

Tonight Bobby Lashley takes on perhaps his biggest opponent in The Big Show. But while he is bigger than him, Bobby does have one thing that Big Show doesn't have: Paul Heyman. Paul may come under fire by many, those who criticize the way he ran the books in ECW and the way he ran his own promotion, his baby, into the ground. Tonight isn’t about Heyman leading a new promotion, however. Tonight he is leading a technical powerhouse in Bobby Lashley. Still considered green by many wrestling journalists, Bobby needs to be on his “A” game tonight if he plans on defeating the much larger, Big Show. Lifting the behemoth will be no easy task, but with the help of two hundred and seventy five pounds of pure muscle, he might just be one of the only men in Stable Wars to accomplish that. But Lashley will need much more than that to gain a win, the first win for his team, over the Giant of Stable Wars. And that’s where Paul Heyman comes in. Paul has brought three men to the WWE Championship since joining the Smackdown roster exclusively with Brock Lesnar in 2002. And while most would call Heyman’s methods cheating, he would call them enhancing his clients chances of gaining a win. And since Lashley doesn’t have much in terms of experience in the ring at this point in his career, he will help him realize his advantages going into the match. Advantages such as his speed, which can used to wear Big Show down. While Big Show might be physically stronger than him, if he is constantly chasing Lashley around, sooner or later, those 500 pounds will start to take their toll on his legs, slowing him down. This is where Lashley will bring in his second advantage. Lashley is known for his technical skills, skills he honed while competing in amateur wrestling in both college and the army. This is what will bring Big Show down, down to his knees. Big Show is in no terms a technician and while he may have faced some of the better ones in the business, he hasn’t faced one the size of Lashley. And once Big Show is weakened enough to the point of barely being able to stand, Lashley will hit that dominating spear he has been known for and pin Show for the 1,2,3! It’s as easy and simple as that. But now, will Lashley be able to gain this win, even with Paul Heyman on his side?

[Coolio]

Big Show will use his size to his advantage, and he is also quite atheltic for his size, and he will go for leg submissions to make it even harder for Lashley to pick him up, and he will use bear hugs to also make it hard for Lashley to keep his breath, and this will tire Lashley out faster. Bobby Heenan will use his vetrans manager skills, and distract the ref when Show is at a disadvantage, and that way Show can go for the low blow or the rack of the eyes to get it back in advantage. Then after he has tired out Lashley he will finally go for and land the Choke Slam for the win.

[chris_K]

Mr. Kennedy has got to stay in control. He's gotta be relentless like always. Constantly target the back. Take away Sting's strength. Use any and all possible advantages. That includes have Chyna interfere. Chyna should pulling on Sting's leg every chance she gets. Everytime Sting starts building momentum, Chyna needs to get on the side of the ring and distract Sting and the ref and give Ken time. If the ref is distracted, Ken shouldn't be afraid to give the low blow, illegal chokes, unpad the turnbuckle. If Ken gives Sting any room to breath it should be to mearly feed off the crowd. Late in the match, after Sting is warn down quite abit, start kicking in the head. Running boots, stomps, kicks. Target that head and keep yelling at him. No better way to get in his head then to rub in the fact your whooping him. If Sting gets the momentum and goes to use his speed for some top rope manuevers, Chyna needs to jump up and grab Sting, do anything to stop the jump but keeping him up there. Then, after that happens and Stings stuck up there, Ken gets up there, Green Bay Plunge. 1,2,3! Finished. O and one last thing

KENNEDY!!!!!!!!!!!!