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Spike meltdown casts shadow
on Intercontinental title blow-out 
WASHINGTON - It took Spike just 25 seconds to flatten Pit Viper for the Intercontinental title at High Stakes, but his post-match eruption overshadowed the victory.
Incensed by Pit Viper's ring entrance - an over-the-top, six-minute mockery of Spike featuring provocative dancers dressed like Sweet Thing - Spike pounded on the nearly helpless former champ for more than a minute after the contest before officials were able to restrain him in a corner.
The victory itself came on the heels of a top-rope Megadestroyer clothesline that caught Pit Viper off guard. Spike is now a two-time IC champ, having held the belt previously in 1996 before losing it to Star Warrior in a close ladder match that sparked a four-year curse for Spike in title matches.
Glory aside, fans and analysts alike were shocked at Spike's uncontrolled rage. Ringside commentator Jim Ross called the wild attack "years of championship frustration coming to a sick, sick head."
Pit Viper, now the No. 1 contender to the IC title, has been unaccounted for since his pay-per-view loss but is guaranteed a rematch.
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Sam triumphs as
promised, takes home
European hardware WASHINGTON - Driven by his intense patriotism and gushing blood, homegrown American icon Commander Sam used a simple abdominal stretch to capture the European title in a five-star four-corners match at High Stakes. Now, how much will he stand for Europe?
That answer's up in the air, as is Sam's standing among fans, who roundly supported him in Washington D.C. last week despite his recent inflammatory remarks aimed at homosexuals and Italians. Trademark chants of "U.S.A., U.S.A." could be heard in Washington streets up to an hour after the show.
Sam squeezed a decisive submission from Jack of Diamonds and earlier pinned Mr. Galaxy during the highly suspenseful title match built around Caleb Buck's strap. Buck, who only tangled with Sam for a moment, was pinned on a surprise backslide by Jack halfway through the contest. A disqualification against Jack was thrown out minutes later when a second referee overruled the decision and declared that titles cannot be decided on DQs.
Following the match, Sam required 14 staples to close a deep laceration on his head. It remains unclear what caused the injury.
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Massif surprises everyone, goes hardcore with devastating 'ladder' incident 
WASHINGTON - Former GWF world champion Massif achieved two impressive firsts at High Stakes - a one-second victory over Ali-Rabbu for the hardcore title, and dumping Ali-Rabbu, Rainbow Crusader and a 10-foot steel ladder down a flight of stairs.
Fending off interference from an enraged Wolf, who had been left off the night's card, Ali-Rabbu had regained the hardcore belt from Crusader in a 20-minute-plus contest that saw both men sprawled across a ladder wedged over an open stairwell near the MCI Center lobby. Along came Massif, who jerked the ladder loose, enacting the GWF's 24-7 hardcore rule and winning the title when Ali-Rabbu crashed 13 feet down onto the hard stairs and lost consciousness.
Astonishingly, Ali-Rabbu sustained only minor injuries and refused to be kept overnight at a Washington-area hospital. However, Rainbow Crusader, already unconscious when he and the ladder pancaked against the stairs, suffered a severe concussion and a broken collarbone and is out of GWF action indefinitely.
The incident adds new depth to a hatred that recently exploded between Ali-Rabbu and Massif, once managed together under the Draconian Sheik. It also puts Massif squarely in the crosshairs of Wolf, who has sworn to regain the hardcore title he lost three months ago during a surprise attack from Ali-Rabbu.
NEWS ROUND-UP 
* El Verde Diablo is the GWF's new cruiserweight champion after besting Frenzy at High Stakes, but the celebration may not last long. Satan Brothers leader Brute has declared all-out war on Yin Kabaki's stable after Kabaki spit on him prior to the title match that EVD won when Brute failed to break up the final pin. Brute, incidentally, has entered the fringes of the Intercontinental title picture.
* Star Warrior wasn't joking when he demanded to be an immediate part of the world title hunt, and neither are GWF executives who liked the idea. Committemen already have placed the returning second-generation star as the No. 3 contender to Bishop Hell's gold - and he has yet to even wrestle a comeback match.
* Re Kwon suffered two cracked ribs during a double table bomb Harikari endured at the hands of Chad St. Cloud and Mark Mitchell at High Stakes. The No-DQ match between the four men, which started on an impromptu call-out from St. Cloud, saw Dr. Guido fall to St. Cloud's Coagulator before he was powerbombed through Re Kwon and a table in mid-ring. The attack was nearly identical to one perpetrated by Harikari three weeks ago on St. Cloud and Spike.
* It was a rough night for Trainer Jim at High Stakes, as his team lost their shot at the GWF tag team titles, and then he lost his job. Earthquake's public firing of Jim after the Jocko Vonns were disqualified against Renegade and Darkos ends a nearly seven-year managerial relationship between Jim and the Jockos. Jim reportedly pleaded for his duties back the following afternoon but was coldly denied by Earthquake and Vlad Hammer, whose new attitude also led Earthquake to snub Renegade on a would-be handshake after a pay-per-view battle many insiders described as "stiff."
 Catch up on the unconfirmed buzz in the rumors section!
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