• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Winners And Losers! Will Bernie D's Streak Ever End?

Posted: Aug 23rd 2009 By: CMBurnham

You don't win all of them. But most wrestlers hope to win more than they lose. Many do. Eventually, though, even the best end up in a losing streak. It happens in baseball. It happens in football. But when it happens in wrestling, you usually have no one to blame but yourself.

The problem comes when someone else points out to you all the time that you're on that losing streak. And that pretty much sums up the issue between Impact, Inc. members Johnny Z and Bernie D. Although they've been friends and partners for 5 years and held the IZW Tag Team Titles 7 different times together, that all seems to be out the window now as Johnny is obsessed with showing that he and his associates are still the best in Oklahoma.

It's been a month since Bernie D actually looked at the winning side of a paycheck. On that occassion, he & Johnny Z teamed up in a Handicap Match against MSWA Mid-South & IZW Champion Aaron Neil. But ever since then, loss after loss has racked up against the "Hebrew Hammer", so much so that Johnny was actually quoted as saying "Don't pull a Bernie D" once when telling someone not to lose.

Thinking that maybe a fresh perspective would help his cause, Bernie accepted a booking for the TOPW show in Bristow last Friday. He found himself in a Triple Threat Match against Michael York and Dexter Hardaway. Bernie held his own quite well in this match, even setting York up for the pin. But Dexter swooped in to score the pin, essentially capitalising on the work that Bernie had done. Bernie was seen after the show once again being dressed down by Johnny Z for losing (which was ironic, as Johnny had lost the opening match against Eric Rose on the same card.)

The next night in Lawton, Impact, Inc. had a plan. There would be three seperate singles matches. Johnny intended for all three members of Impact, Inc. to be victorious in their respective contests, showing that they were still the most dominant faction on the state. To that end, all members of the group were present for each of the matches, creating what was essentially a 3-on-1 situation. In the opener, Blake Albright faced off against IZW Tag Team Champion Jermaine Johnson. With Jermaine's tag team championship partner Montego Seeka in Chicago, Johnson had no back up, but gamely faced the situation. He just couldn't overcome the odds as Bernie D distracted the ref and Johnny Z entered the ring, giving Jermaine a big boot. Albright then hit the "Posterizer" to score the win. Impact, Inc. stood at 1-0 in their series.

Immediately following that, match #2 began with Johnny Z facing TOPW Oklahoma Champion Brandon Groom. Again, Bernie D & Blake Albright were at ringside, but Groom's 10 years of experience in wrestling didn't allow him to feel overwhelmed by the odds. He took the battle to Johnny, controlling the match with lots of power moves and appeared to be ready to set Johnny up for defeat. Bernie D & Blake Albright both jumped up on the apron, gaining the referee's attention and then Austin Tacious ran down with a chair, slamming it across the back of Groom and rendering him unable to kick out of a pin. Johnny Z took Impact, Inc. to 2-0, but before the post-match celebration began, Bernie D simply walked to the back, not joining in the festivities. Albright seemed confused by this, but Johnny was too busy arrogantly celebrating the victory to be concerned.

Cameras backstage caught up with Bernie as he was found by Albright. Johnny Z soon joined them and said he was offended by Bernie walking off. Bernie wondered if all this anger was because Johnny got hit in the face with a cake on his birthday the previous week, an event that Bernie seemed to find much more humour in than Johnny. Johnny reminded his partner that they had a chance to sweep the series and Bernie said he intended to win his match, but he wanted to do it the right way: on his own. He requested that Impact, Inc. stay out of his match, even though he didn't know who his opponent was. Bernie left and Johnny started laughing, saying that Bernie might want to reconsider since he was about the face the 420 lb. Carnage!

It didn't take long for Bernie to find out who his opponent was and the look on his face revealed his feelings about the matter. Despite the overwhelming weight difference, Bernie still valiantly faced the "Oklahoma Nightmare" and seemed to be doing pretty well until a mistimed charge in the corner left the referee unconscious. Carnage then looked to be setting Bernie up for a chokeslam when Johnny Z appeared to help his partner. While Bernie had been reluctant to accept assistance backstage, he was more than willing to work together and the double-team tactics of Impact, Inc. had Carnage reeling. Johnny & Bernie had Carnage set up for a double vertical suplex when Aaron Neil's music suddenly played. Stricken with fear, Johnny quickly rolled the outside and ran to the FRONT door to escape, wanting nothing to do with the "Real Deal" Carnage then picked Bernie up for a huge chokeslam and, with the referee recovered, the hopes for an unbeaten streak by Impact, Inc. were ended.

During intermission, cameras recorded a meeting between the Impact, Inc. members and IZW ring announcer & commissioner Steve O. To say Johnny Z was outraged would have been an understatement. He could do nothing by complain about the "failure" of Bernie, but Bernie finally had enough, saying that the previous week, he almost got his neck broken and this week, Johnny ran like a little girl from Aaron Neil's music. At that point, Johnny reached up and slapped Bernie hard across the face. He said he was tired of Bernie's "yap" and pointed out that he and Albright were winners, while Bernie was a loser. Then, in an unexpected turn, Johnny told Bernie to go home and not to come back until he figured out how to be a winner. Albright & Steve O could only stare as Bernie left the room and the 5-year partnership seemed to come to an end.

It's no secret that Johnny Z has been obsessed with Aaron Neil and the IZW & MSWA Mid-South Titles. He's the #1 contender to both belts and is determined to be a Heavyweight Champion before the end of the year. But that obsession may have cost him more than just this friendship. Because if there's one person who knows Johnny well, it's Bernie. And if Johnny is willing to hurt Bernie this way, Bernie might be willing to share some knowledge with Aaron Neil for their upcoming battles.

Tags: Impact, Inc., Johnny Z, Bernie D, IZW, MSWA, Aaron Neil, TOPW, Michael York, Dexter Hardaway, Eric Rose, Blake Albright, Jermaine Johnson, Montego Seeka, Brandon Groom, Austin Tacious, Carnage, Steve O